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Poultry  Feeding 
and  Fattening 

INCLUDING  PREPARATION  FOR  MAR- 
KET, SPECIAL  FINISHING  METHODS, 
AS  PRACTICED  BY  AMERICAN  AND 
FOREIGN  EXPERTS,  HANDLING  BROIL- 
ERS,      CAPONS,      WATERFOWL,      ETC. 


Fully    Illustrated 


Compiled  by   George  B.   Fiske 

Author  of  Poultry  Architecture,   Poultry  Appliances,  Etc. 


NEW    YORK: 

ORANGE  JUDD  COMPANY 
1919  . 


Copyright,  1904 
Orange  Judd  Company 


Printed  in  U.  S.  A, 


TABLE   OF   CONTENTS 

PAGE 

Introduction    7 

Chapter   I 
Thrifty  Growth 9 

Chapter   II 
Expert  Chicken  Feeding 19 

Chapter  III 
Broiler  Eaising   25 

Chapter  IV 
Nutrition  for  Layers 37 

Chapter  V 
Special  Foods   51 

Chapter    Vi 
To  Finish  and  Dress  Capons 67 

Chapter   VII 
The  Art  of  Poultry  Fattening 73 

Chapter   VIII 
Lessons  from  Foreign  Experts 92 

Chapter  IX 
American   Fattening   Methods 103 

Chapter  X 
At  Killing  Time Ill 

Chapter   XI 
Preparing  for   Market 120 

Chapter  XII 
Marketing  Turkeys  and  Waterfowl 133 

Chapter  XIII               87'297' 
Finish  and  Shaping 149 


LIST  OF  ILLUSTRATIONS 

A  Modern  American  Duck  Farm   Frontispiece 

Feeding    Brooder    Chicks     29 

Broilers    Ready    for    Market    30 

Broiler    Raising    on    a    City    Lot    33 

A    Good    Layer     43 

A    Poor    Layer    43 

Anatomy    of   a    Fowl    47 

Meats    and    Grains    Compared    53 

Dressed    Capon    68 

Coops    for    Fattening    85 

Cramming  Fowls  in   Large   Plant    87 

American   Poultry   Cramming   Machine    89 

English  Feeding  Machine    89 

Canadian  Feeding  Machine  in  Operation   91 

Funnel  for   Cramming    93 

Fattening  and   Killing   Sheds,    France    95 

English    Fattening    Pen    97 

English   Fattening  Shed    99 

Frame   of   Fattening    Crate 104 

Chickens    in   Canadian   Fattening   Crate    105 

Fattening    Chickens    at    Bondville,    Quebec    106 

Fattening    Crates    with    Board    Shelter    107 

Process  of  Dressing  Poultry    112 

Picking   a   Carcass    114 

Knife  and  Where  to  Cut   116 

Killing  Bag  and  Knife  Guide  117 

Beheading    Block     119 

Table  for  Dressing  Fowls    121 

Dressed   Poultry  Well   Packed    123 

Fowl  Dressed  for  Family  Trade 128 

Canadian    Shipping    Box    129 

Turkeys  Packed  and  Marked  137 

Duck    Picking    141 

Pair  of  Dressed  Ducks    143 

Killing  Department  of  English  Duck  Farm 146 

English  Duck  Ranch,   General  View    148 

Breast    and    Thigh    Development    149 

Shaped    Sussex   Fowls    150 

Shaped   Fowls,    French    151 

Shaped    Poultry,    La    Bresse    152 

Shaping    Board,    French    153 

Shaping    Cloths,    French     155 

Chickens    in    Canadian    Shaping    Boards    156 

Canadian  Shaping  Trough  in  Use   157 


INTRODUCTION 


THE  weak  point  in  general  poultry  books  has  been 
the  scant  attention  given  to  the  subject  of  the 
standard  and  improved  methods  of  feeding  and 
marketing.  The  result  is  that  the  practical 
knowledge  of  these  branches  of  poultry  keeping  has 
lagged  behind  the  others. 

Of  all  live  stock,  poultry  is  most  often  misfed, 
overfed  or  underfed.  Conditions  are  artificial,  the 
individuals  fed  are  numerous  and  their  needs  not 
uniform.  Most  important  of  all  is  the  need  of  the 
same  careful  rules  and  experience  which  guide  feeders 
of  cattle,  sheep  or  hogs.  It  is  only  in  recent  years  that 
much  attention  has  been  devoted  to  special  study  of 
poultry  to  make  possible  a  collection  of  reliable  infor- 
mation on  the  subject.  Given  good  stock,  good  feeding 
is  the  key  to  success. 

The  subject  is  approached  largely  from  the  side  of 
the  best  practice  and  experience,  although  the  under- 
lying science  of  feeding  has  been  explained  as  fully  as 
needful.  In  the  absence  of  digestion  tables  applied  to 
fowls  and  of  a  sufficient  number  of  feeding  trials,  the 
science  of  feeding  poultry  has  not  yet  reached  a  point 
where  the  so-called  scientific  ration  can  be  compounded 
without  large  reference  to  the  actual  experience  of 
successful  feeders. 

The  subject  has  been  made  to  cover  all  branches, 
including  chickens,  broilers,  capons,  turkeys,  waterfowl : 
how  to  feed  under  various  conditions  and  for  different 
purposes.     The  whole  subject  of  capons  and  caponizing 


ViU  IXTKODUCTIUX 

is  treated  in  detail.  The  chapters  on  fattening  and 
preparing  for  market  are  intended  to  be  very  complete 
on  a  subject  scantily  covered  in  other  books. 

Few  realize  how  much  room  exists  for  improve- 
ment in  the  line  of  feeding  and  fattening  for 
uiarket.  The  best  foreign  methods  have  already  gained 
a  foothold  in  America  and  the  resulting  product  was 
an  immediate  success  in  the  market.  The  feeding 
machine,  shaping  board  and  other  special  appliances 
will  soon  be  in  more  common  use  by  those  who  travel 
with  the  van  of  poultry  progress. 

American  meat  buyers  are  the  most  lavish  in  the 
world.  Having  once  learned  the  taste  of  the  best 
poultry,  not  that  which  is  thin  and  scrawny  or  has  been 
covered  with  grease  in  the  so-called  fattening  process, 
but  fowls  made  to  take  on  more  flesh,  softened  and 
ripened,  then  carefully  dressed,  fitted  and  shaped  for 
market  by  all  the  various  arts  that  can  make  good 
poultry  attractive  to  the  eye;  after  once  sampling  such 
poultry  the  liberal,  well-to-do  buyer  will  be  content  with 
nothing  inferior.  In  fact,  with  the  well-known  high 
standard  of  the  American  food  buying  public,  it  is  hard 
to  explain  why  the  perfecting  of  poultry  meat  has  failed 
to  keep  pace  with  that  of  similar  products. 

With  the  instruction  given  in  this  volume  there  is 
no  reason  why  the  intelligent  poultryman  should  not 
learn  after  due  experience  to  breed  successfully  and  also 
turn  out  a  product  as  good  as  the  best,  and  suitable  for 
the  most  fastidious  trade. 


CHAPTER   I 
THRIFTY   GROWTH 

CHICK  feeding  is  sometimes  a  very  simple  matter. 
If  they  are  strong  stock,  hatched  in  the  most 
favorable  season  and  given  wide  range,  they 
require  but  little  more  care  in  feeding  than 
mature  poultry.  The  writer  has  raised  thousands  under 
such  conditions  on  a  diet  largely  composed  of  ground 
grain  mixed  raw  with  skimmilk  and  fed  three  times  a 
day  from  shell  to  market.  Yet  no  question  but  care, 
frequency,  variety  and  adaptation  in  feeding  chicks 
always  pays,  and  is  in  fact  necessary  for  cold  weather 
chicks,  those  of  feeble  stock  and  those  kept  in  close 
quarters.  There  is  no  profit  in  a  chicken  kept  just 
alive.  The  faster  the  growth  the  greater  the  profit, 
whether  grown  for  market  or  for  winter  laying. 

One  reason  why  more  care  should  be  taken  in 
feeding  chickens  than  the  older  birds  is  that  the  former 
know  less  what  they  want  than  the  latter.  They  are 
hungry  things,  and  take  whatever  is  given  them,  and 
their  digestive  organs  being  weak,  they  are  not  as  able 
to  dispose  of  anything  objectionable  as  are  older  fowls. 

Far  too  much  corn  meal  is  fed  to  chicks,  and  it  is 
to  that  cause,  in  a  great  measure,  that  there  are  so  many 
young  chicks  which  die  early — often  before  they  have 
fully  feathered  out.  Like  very  young  stock  of  any  kind, 
they  require  something  nourishing,  though  not  violent 
or  heating,  to  induce  them  to  make  a  good  and  healthy 
growth. 

To  get  most  rapid  growth  they  should  be  fed  early 
in  the  morning,  and  as  late  as  they  can  see  to  eat  at 
night.     In  the  intervening  time  they  should  be  fed  not 

fc>.  M.  HILL  LIBRARY 


10  rULLTKY      I-EEUIXG      AND      FATTENING 

less  than  four  times.  Feed  a  little  at  a  time  but  often, 
is  a  good  rule  to  follow.  It  is  not  a  bad  plan  to  give 
three  meals  of  soft  feed  and  three  of  dry.  In  order  to 
feed  with  economy,  it  is  necessary  to  have  slat  feeding 
coops,  so  made  as  to  admit  the  chicks  and  to  exclude  the 
mother  hens  and  other  fowls.  These  coops  may  be 
quickly  and  cheaply  made  by  tacking  plastering  lath 
on  strips  of  inch  stuff.  The  food  may  be  placed  in 
these  coops  on  long  boards  or  shallow  troughs.  Xo 
more  soft  food  should  be  given  at  one  time  than  will 
be  eaten  up  clean.  The  habit  that  some  have  of  throw- 
ing out  a  great  mass  of  soft  food — sufficient  to  last  a 
day — to  become  foul  and  sour,  is  very  wasteful  and 
injurious  to  the  chicks. 

Do  not  lose  sight  of  the  importance  of  a  balanced 
ration  for  the  young,  growing  chickens.  Bulletin  61  of 
the  Ehode  Island  experiment  station  shows  the  danger 
that  comes  from  feeding  too  much  grain.  The  best 
results  were  obtained  by  feeding  an  abundance  of 
animal  protein,  of  which  milk  is  the  best  form. 
Disease  and  death  followed  the  excessive  use  of  starchy 
foods.     Green  food  cannot  safely  be  omitted. 

To  push  young  chicks  along  and  keep  them  in 
health,  there  is  nothing  better  than  boiled  eggs  mashed 
up,  shells  and  all,  with  two  or  three  times  their  bulk 
of  stale  bread  crumbs,  or  cracker  crumbs,  thoroughly 
mixed.  Mix  not  more  than  enough  for  one  feed  of  this 
at  a  time  and  give  them  only  what  they  will  eat  readily 
and  quickly.  Feed  stale  bread  soaked  in  milk,  either 
whole,  skimmed,  or  buttermilk  after  the  milk  has  been 
squeezed  out  by  hand. 

This  is  not  a  very  expensive  method  of  feeding,  as 
the  chicks,  being  so  small,  will  not  consume  much  of 
it  daily,  while  the  very  best  results  have  invariably 
followed  such  a  system  of  feeding  and  management. 
But  if  milk  is  not  obtainable,  use  the  yolks  of  tested 


THRIFTY        GKOWTH  11 

out  eggs,  either  raw  or  hard-boiled  or  soft-boiled,  as 
convenient,  mixed  with  the  bread  crumbs,  for  the  first 
fortnight. 

Only  one  day's  feed  should  be  prepared  at  a  time, 
as  it  will  sour  if  left  to  stand  any  length  of  time. 
Millet  seed  scattered  in  the  litter  about  the  brood  house 
or  the  short  grass;  plump  wheat  screenings;  oats  and 
corn  ground  together,  with  an  equal  quantity  of  bran, 
and  made  into  johnnycakes — are  good  for  the  young- 
sters. After  they  get  to  be  three  weeks  old  cracked 
corn  and  whole  wheat  may  form  a  larger  part  of  their 
diet,  increasing  it  as  they  grow  older.  Better  results 
are  attained  by  a  judicious  alternation  of  all,  day  by  day, 
or  feed  by  feed ;  it  keeps  the  appetite  sharp  and  they  are 
always  on  the  lookout  for  the  new  surprise  at  meal  time. 
Don't  forget  the  pure  clean  water,  they  need  that  what- 
ever the  feed.  If  the  soil  does  not  supply  grit  in  proper 
shape  and  size  it  should  be  furnished  them;  a  dish  of 
charcoal  where  they  can  help  themselves,  or  a  handful 
in  the  soft  feed  four  or  five  times  a  week,  will  prevent 
most  of  the  ordinary  bowel  troubles.  No  tonic  or 
stimulant  should  be  needed  at  this  age,  but  if  a  brood 
gets  suddenly  chilled,  a  dose  of  some  good  condition 
powder  will  help  to  put  them  on  their  feet  again. 

EXPERIENCE    IN    FEEDING    YOUNG    CHICKS 

I  feed  the  young  chicks  the  first  few  days  on  bread 
soaked  in  milk,  then  cracked  corn  and  wheat. — [F.  W. 
Trask,  Lincoln  County,  Me. 

For  feeding  little  chicks  I  use  millet  seed  and  find 
it  superior  to  any  feed  I  ever  tried.  Chicks  will  do 
well  on  this  seed  for  at  least  three  weeks  and  grow 
faster  than  on  anything  I  have  ever  tried. — [J.  M. 
Buckles,  Logan  County,  111. 

The  first  ten  days  I  fed  them  on  bread  crumbs, 
after  dipping  the  bread  in  milk  to  moisten  it.     After 


12  POULTRY      FEEDING      AND      PATTEXING 

that  I  feed  tliem  on  coarse  corn  meal  moistened,  but  not 
very  M^et,  imtil  the^^  are  old  enough  to  eat  cracked  grain. 
All  the  time  they  have  plenty  of  fresh  water  to  drink. — 
[Mrs.  L.  I.  Clark,  Erie  County,  N.  Y. 

My  method  of  raising  chickens  is  to  feed  them 
any  and  all  kinds  of  grain  and  vegetables.  I  give  oats 
to  make  bone,  wheat  for  feathers,  corn,  buckwheat 
and  green  foods  to  fatten. —  [D.  C.  Wells,  Indiana 
County,  Pa. 

I  never  feed  the  chicks  until  they  are  twenty-four 
hours  old,  and  I  sometimes  think  that  is  too  soon.  The 
first  feed  is  dry  rolled  oats  and  bread  crumbs.  Then 
I  feed  mostly  corn  chop.  I  never  feed  warm  mashes 
to  the  chicks  or  old  hens.  The  laying  hens  I  feed  oats 
and  screenings  in  the  morning,  screenings  for  dinner 
and  corn  at  night,  with  plenty  of  good  water  and 
exercise. —  [F.  W.  Silloway,  Macoupin  County,  111. 

I  usually  feed  three  times  a  day,  morning,  noon 
and  night.  Never  throw  feed  on  the  ground  or  in 
dishes  where  it  will  be  likely  to  be  contaminated  with 
droppings  from  the  hens  or  other  filth.  I  keep  con- 
stantly within  their  reach  clean  water  in  pans,  changing 
it  every  morning  and  rinsing  out  the  pans.  About  4 
p.  m.  I  give  them  a  feed  of  wheat,  cracked  corn  or 
both. — [J.  J.  Parker,  Chautauqua  County,  N.  Y. 

The  chicks  are  placed  in  a  brooder  warmed  to  ninety 
degrees,  the  floor  of  which  is  covered  with  dry,  sharp 
sand.  I  sift  some  corn  and  oat  chop  and  mix  with  sour 
milk,  soda  and  salt,  and  bake  johnnycake  for  them.  The 
inner  part  is  crumbled  into  shallow  pans  and  onto  clean 
paper.  The  crust  is  moistened  with  sweet  milk  warmed 
and  fed  in  pans.  The  chicks  are  fed  every  two  hours. 
When  chicks  are  four  da3^s  old,  they  are  allowed  to  run 
in  a  covered  yard  4x8  feet,  built  around  the  brooder. 
When  two  weeks  old,  thoy  are  allowed  to  run  at  liberty 
but  are  always  fed  in  the  brooder  yard.     As  they  grow 


THRIFTY       GROWTH 


V6 


older,  they  are  not  fed  so  often,  and  at  a  month  old, 
five  feeds  a  day  is  sufficient.  At  each  feeding,  fresh, 
clean  water  is  given.— [Mrs.  C.  G.  Ford,  Charles  City 
County,  Ya. 

After  the  chicks  arc  twenty-four  hours  old  I  begin 
to  feed  crushed  wheat  and  some  grit.  ^Yhen  four  or 
live  days  old  they  get  some  cake  made  from  middlings 
and  corn  meal.  At  five  or  six  weeks  I  give  a  little 
animal  meal  or  scraps.  I  keep  fresh  water  constantly 
before  them  in  small  earthenware  fountains.  I  also 
use  a  cake  made  from  American  poultry  food  and  one- 
fourth  corn  meal.  In  addition  to  the  above  I  give 
them  the  lawn  clippings  and  waste  fruit.  They  are  fed 
five  or  six  times  a  day.— [John  M.  Harrington,  Middle- 
sex County,  ]\Iass. 

Our  three  favorite  articles  of  diet  for  chicks  are 
bread  crumbs,  millet  seed  and  oatmeal,  and  of  the  two 
latter  commodities  we  bay  in  quantities  expressly  for 
tlie  season's  work  in  the  poultry  world  part  of  the  farm. 
Millet  seed  at  thirty  cents  per  bushel  becomes  an  inex- 
pensive part  of  their  living ;  ten  bushels  or  more  of  this 
seed  is  yearly  put  safely  away  for  this  purpose,  for  the 
young  broods  as  they  come  from  nests  and  incubators. 
Oatmeal  is  purchased  by  the  barrel,  lessening  the 
expense  very  materially  as  compared  with  the  price  of 
it  when  bought  by  the  pound  or  "quarter's  worth." 
Eolled  oats  we  have  come  to  look  upon  with  suspicion, 
as  we  have  noted  occasional  bad  results  from  feeding  it. 
It  becomes  pasty  in  the  crop  if  a  meal  is  made  of  it 
exclusively,  and  thus  becomes  to  an  extent  indigestible. 
We  now  use  the  steel  cut  oatmeal,  or  what  is  sometimes 
designated  "the  pinhead  oatmeal."  It  is  clean,  sharp 
cut,  free  from  flour  and  much  relished  by  the  chicks 
and  they  thrive  amazingly  upon  it.  The  barrel  of  oat- 
meal just  purchased,  200  pounds,  cost  $4.50.  This  will 
doubtless  be  more  than  sufficient  for  the  season,  fed, 


1-i  l>OrJ/n{Y      TEEDIXG      AND      FATTENIXG 

as  it  is,  with  otlicr  kinds  of  foo(L — [Xellie  Hawks, 
Kansas. 

Best  Developing  Ration — For  developing  thorough- 
bred fowls  as  well  as  for  laying  hens,  I.  K.  Felch  recom- 
mends the  following  ration  where  the  grains  can  be 
procured  at  reasonable  prices:  Five  pounds  beans,  ten 
pounds  each  wheat  bran  and  barley,  and  fifteen  pounds 
each  oats  and  corn.  These  are  thoroughly  mixed  and 
ground  fine.  For  the  morning  meal  take  four  parts  of 
this  and  one  part  ground  beef  and  scald  over  night. 

Expert  Duck  Raising — The  following  summary  is 
prepared  by  G.  H.  Pollard,  an  extensive  and  promi- 
nent poultryman  of  Bristol  county,  Mass. :  Start  the 
ducklings  on  a  feed  of  two-thirds  bran  and  one-third 
Indian  meal.  If  we  have  milk,  I  mix  it  with  that. 
Give  them  drinking  water  from  the  first.  We  start 
them  on  that  food  witli  just  a  handful  of  gravel  or 
sand  thrown  in  for  two  or  three  days.  After  that  they 
are  supposed  to  know  enough  to  eat  grit  if  they  want  it. 
We  mix  the  food  cold  as  a  rule.  If  we  had  very  early 
birds  we  would  mix  it  with  warm  water  and  would 
slightly  warm  the  drinking  water.  I  never  cook  the 
food.  As  a  rule  it  seems  to  me  that  it  makes  more 
labor  with  no  corresponding  gain  in  produce.  The 
only  question  in  making  a  good  thing  of  the  business 
is  in  keeping  the  labor  down.  You  cannot  cut  down 
the  amount  of  their  food,  but  you  can  make  a  saving 
in  the  amount  of  labor. 

We  start  the  young  ducks  on  the  above-mentioned 
food  and  carry  them  along  until  about  the  fifth  day 
and  then  begin  to  add  beef  scrap.  When  we  begin  to 
add  this  food  we  gradually  take  away  the  milk  and  give 
it  to  the  younger  ones  which  come  along.  In  an 
ordinary  mash  you  cannot  get  enough  animal  food  from 
the  milk  used  to  mix  it,  so  we  use  beef  scrap  to  make 
up  for  it.     We  rarely  give  milk  to  ducklings  or  even 


IHRIFTY       GROWTH  15 

to  chicks  to  drink  because  they  get  it  all  over  them* 
selves,  which  makes  them  anything  but  pretty  birds.  Wc- 
prefer  to  give  it  in  soft  food.  We  begin  to  add  about 
five  per  cent  beef  scrap  on  the  fifth  day  and  from  that 
we  gradually  increase  the  beef  supply  until  at  two 
weeks  they  should  be  getting  about  ten  per  cent.  If 
they  do  not  seem  to  be  thriving  we  take  away  most  of 
the  beef  and  give  them  grain  almost  altogether. 

Of  late  our  tendency  has  been  to  feed  more  bran. 
We  never  exceed  the  proportion  of  half  meal  and  half 
bran.  Some  breeders  give  at  the  end  of  ten  weeks  eighty 
per  cent  of  meal,  but  we  like  bran  better.  Ducks  and 
geese  detect  a  very  slight  change  in  food  and  at  any 
abrupt  change  they  will  refuse  to  eat.  I  think  ducks 
are  even  more  particular  than  geese.  The  theory  with 
hens  is  that  they  should  have  as  constant  change  of  food 
as  it  is  possible  to  give  them,  but  this  theory  will  not 
work  on  ducks. 

We  carry  them  right  straight  through  on  this  feed, 
not  exceeding  one-half  bran  and  one-half  meal,  and 
some  beef  scrap.  One  can  mature  birds  more  quickly 
by  giving  more  beef  scrap.  Of  course  it  is  a  question 
whether  one  can  afford  to  pay  so  much  for  beef  scrap 
when  one  could  get  the  same  results  with  bran  in  a 
little  longer  time.  One  can  get  fairly  good  results  with 
nothing  but  bran  and  meal. 

If  raising  for  breeding  birds,  you  can  mature  them 
and  get  as  good  a  frame  on  bran  and  meal,  but  it  will 
take  two  months  longer.  A  bird  hatched  in  March 
would  be  pretty  well  developed  in  September  if  fed 
stimulating  food,  but  it  would  be  November  before  it 
was  developed  if  fed  no  stimulants.  We  believe  in  an 
abundance  of  green  food  for  breeding  birds.  In  all 
waterfowls  the  white-meated  ones  are  the  desirable 
birds.  A  large  proportion  of  bran  will  give  a  white- 
meated  bird  either  in  ducks  or  fowls. 


IG  POULTiiY      PEEDING      AND      FATTENING 

For  Feeding  Duels,  rules  vary.  One  large  eastern 
grower  allows  400  quarts  of  mixed  feed  per  day  at  two 
feeds  per  day  for  600  breeding  and  laying  ducks.  This 
is  at  the  rate  of  about  two-thirds  of  a  quart  per  day  for 
each  duck. '  Comparing  this  with  the  ration  for  hens, 
it  will  be  seen  that  tlie  appetite  of  the  duck  is  much 
larger  than  tliat  of  the  hen. 

Experiments  in  Feeding  Ducks — The  feeding  and 
management  of  poultry  has  been  studied  by  a  number 
of  the  stations.  In  most  cases  the  work  has  been  con- 
fined to  chickens.  Two  of  the  stations  have  reported 
experiments  with  ducks,  summarized  as  follows  by 
C.  P.  Langworthy: 

The  Michigan  station  studied  the  comparative 
growth  made  by  thirty-nine  young  ducks  and  the  same 
number  of  chickens  on  similar  rations.  The  ducks  were 
two  weeks  old  at  the  beginning  of  the  test  and  were  fed 
middlings,  corn  and  bran,  together  with  the  necessary 
grit  and  green  food  (lettuce),  and  were  given  the  run 
of  a  small  yard  with  a  grass  patch.  The  chickens  were 
fed  bran  and  relatively  more  corn  meal  than  the  ducks, 
but  had  no  middlings.  They  were  also  given  lettuce 
and  allowed  the  run  of  a  grass  plat.  Both  chickens 
and  ducks  were  given  skimmilk  in  addition  to  the  other 
food.  At  the  beginning  of  the  test  the  ducks  weighed 
13.25  pounds  and  the  chickens  7.5  pounds.  In  five 
weeks  the  ducks  were  nearly  ready  for  the  early  market 
and  had  gained  108.75  pounds.  They  had  eaten  41.3 
pounds  of  corn,  93.1  pounds  of  middlings,  43.4  pounds 
of  bran,  fifty-nine  pounds  of  lettuce  and  eighty-eight 
pounds  of  skimmilk.  The  total  cost  of  a  pound  of 
gain  was  1.9  cents.  In  the  same  period  the  chickens 
had  gained  thirty  pounds  and  had  consumed  52.2 
pounds  of  corn,  25.9  pounds  of  bran,  forty-six  pounds 
of  lettuce  and  44.3  pounds  of  skimmilk.  The  total  cost 
of  a  pound  of  gain  was  4.84  cents.     In  discussing  the 


THRIFTY       GROWTH 


proiits  corn  and  bran  are  rated  at  $14  and  middlings 
at  $15  per  ton,  milk  at  twenty  cents  per  hundred,  and 
lettuce  at  one  cent  per  pound.  The  ducks  gained  much 
more  rapidl}^  than  the  chickens  and  the  gains  were  more 
economically  made.  The  chickens  were  not  large 
enough  for  market  at  the  close  of  the  test  and  the  feed- 
ing was  continued  for  some  time  before  they  were  soLl. 
At  the  North  Carolina  station  eighteen  Pekin 
ducks  were  fed  for  fifty-six  days  from  the  time  they 
were  hatched.  At  the  beginning  of  the  test  the  total 
food  consisted  of  4.4  ounces  of  corn  meal  and  an  equal 
amount  of  bran  per  head  daily,  while  at  the  close  of 
the  test,  six  pounds  ten  ounces  of  meal,  four  pounds 
three  ounces  of  bran  and  three  pounds  five  ounces  of 
bone  were  fed  daily.  In  addition  to  the  grain  an 
amount  of  fine  grit  equal  to  one-sixth  of  the  weight  of 
the  grain,  and  chopped  green  clover  equal  to  one-fourth 
the  bulk  of  the  ration,  were  also  fed.  All  the  feed  w\as 
mixed  with  water  to  a  crumbly  mass  and  fed  in  troughs. 
No  water  was  allowed  except  for  drinking  purposes. 
In  this  test  corn  meal,  cut  bone  and  grit  were  each 
rated  at  one  cent  per  pound  and  wheat  bran  at  0.9  cent 
per  pound.  Account  was  also  taken  of  the  value  of  the 
clover  fed,  the  eggs  set,  and  the  food  of  hens  carrying 
the  ducks.  The  ducks  weighed  two  ounces  when 
hatched,  and  four  pounds  fifteen  and  one-half  ounces  at 
the  close  of  the  test.  The  cost  of  a  pound  of  gain 
was  5.05  cents. 

What  to  Feed  Young  Turlceys,  as  told  by  E.  D. 
AVeswer  of  South  Dakota,  whose  methods  have  been 
awarded  a  prize  in  a  recent  contest:  After  the  eggs 
are  all  hatched  and  the  young  turks  are  taken  off  and 
placed  in  tJieir  house  and  yard,  give  them  their  first 
meal,  which  should  be  stale  bread  crumbs  soaked  in 
milk,  and  hard-boiled  eggs.  Boil  an  egg  five  minutes 
and  it  will  be  tough  and  indigestible,  but  boil  it  half 


18  POULTRY     PEEDIXG     AND     FATTENING 

an  hour  and  it  will  be  easily  crumbled.  When  four  or 
five  days  old  begin  feeding  curds,  and  give  all  the  sour 
milk  they  will  drink.  Chop  onion  tops  and  lettuce  and 
give  with  the  food  until  they  begin  picking  young  and 
tender  grass.  Twice  or  three  times  a  week  give  a  little 
pepper  in  the  food.  Don't  give  too  much — their  mouths 
are  not  lined  with  sheet  iron — but  season  as  if  you 
expected  to  eat  it  yourself. 

By  the  third  week,  begin  feeding  cooked  corn  meal. 
Do  not  give  a  full  feed  of  meal  at  first,  but  add  a  little 
more  each  day,  until  at  four  or  five  weeks  they  are 
to  be  fed  entirely  on  cooked  corn  meal,  with  all  the  sour 
milk  they  will  drink.  Xever  feed  any  raw  meal  to 
young  turkeys.  It  should  always  be  cooked  by  baking, 
until  the  turkeys  are  two  and  one-half  months  old. 
Feeding  meal  too  soon,  feeding  uncooked  meal  and 
feeding  grain  before  they  are  able  to  digest  it  will  kill 
fully  one-half  of  the  brood. 

When  six  or  eight  weeks  old,  feed  cracked  corn  or 
wheat  screenings  at  night.  From  the  time  when  yoa 
begin  feeding  until  they  are  fully  feathered  and  have 
thrown  out  the  red  on  their  heads,  feed  five  or  six  times 
a  day ;  then  if  insects  are  plenty  they  will  thrive  on  two 
meals  a  day,  cooked  corn  meal  and  potatoes  in  the 
morning  and  cracked  corn  or  other  grain  at  night. 

Should  a  sudden  shower  come  up  while  the  young 
turkeys  are  out  foraging,  drive  them  to  their  coops. 
If  any  get  chilled  and  refuse  to  eat,  take  them  to  the 
house,  dry  and  warm  them  thoroughly,  return  to  the 
mother  and  give  a  good  feed  with  plenty  of  red  pepper 
or  ginger  mixed  in.  Where  insect  forage  is  abundant, 
turkeys  will  pick  the  greater  part  of  their  living  for 
three  or  four  months  and  in  such  localities  it  will  do 
to  turn  them  out  after  they  are  three  months  old 
without  any  breakfast,  but  they  should  always  have 
a  handful  of  grain  at  night. 


CHAPTER  II 
EXPERT  CHICKEN  FEEDING 

BY  A.  F.  HUNTER 

THE   first   rule   for   getting   a   good   profit   from 
poultry  is  to  hatch  the  chickens  early.     Equally 
important  is  the  second — keep  them  growing  so 
that    they    will    come    to    laying    maturity    by 
Xovember  1.     The  food  and  care  has  much  to  do  with 
keeping  the  chicks  growing. 

Let  them  alone  until  they  are  twentj^-four  hours 
old,  or  until  the  morning  of  the  twenty-second  day. 
They  need  no  food  during  this  time;  nature  has  pro- 
vided for  that  by  absorption  of  the  egg  yolk  into  their 
little  abdomens,  and  it  is  necessary  that  this  egg  yolk 
be  digested  and  assimilated  before  any  other  food  goes 
in.  Much  damage  is  done  and  many  chicks  killed  by 
not  observing  this  rule.  Some  people  in  their  feverish 
haste  to  get  the  chicks  growing,  hurry  food  into  their 
crops  before  the  system  has  been  toned  up  to  take  care 
of  it.  The  consequence  is  the  bowels  are  congested, 
dysentery  sets  in,  and  the  chick  goes  over  to  the 
majority. 

We  always  set  the  hens  in  pairs,  so  the  chicks  of 
two  hens  may  be  given  to  one,  allowing  the  other  to 
reset.  When  a  brood  is  to  come  off  we  take  a  covered 
basket  to  the  nest,  remove  all  the  chicks  from  one  hen 
and  put  them  in  the  basket,  then  take  the  basket  and 
biddy  to  a  coop  previously  made  ready  in  a  sunny, 
grassy  spot.  Putting  the  hen  down  in  the  coop,  the 
basket  is  tipped  upon  its  side  near  her  and  the  downy 
little  things  run  out  to  her  protection. 

An  Qgg  has  been  previously  boiled  hard,  chopped 
fine,  shell  and  all,  and  mixed  with  double  the  quantity 


20  POULTRY     FEEDING     AN'D     FATTEXIXQ 

of  bread  crumhs.  This  is  set  before  them  for  their  first 
meal.  To  be  sure,,  biddy  gobbles  about  all  of  it.  Xo 
matter.  She  has  worked  hard,  half  starving  herself  to 
bring  forth  this  promising  little  flock,  and  a  good  feed 
now  will  help  to  make  her  contented  and  happy,  con- 
sequently a  better  mother. 

Feed  a  little  and  often  is  the  best  method;  every 
two  hours,  say  five  times  a  day,  till  the  chicks  are  five 
weeks  old.  See  that  no  food  is  left  in  the  sun  to  sour 
after  they  have  eaten;  remove  it  all.  Xothing  causes 
more  bowel  looseness  and  dysentery  than  sour  food. 

Our  chief  foods  for  the  first  five  or  six  weeks  are 
coarsest  oatmeal  slightly  moistened  with  sweet  milk, 
and  waste  bread  from  hotels  and  restaurants.  This 
bread  consists  of  bread,  rolls,  tea  and  corn  cakes,  etc., 
and  is  an  excellent  food  for  chickens.  "We  spread  it  on 
the  attic  floor  to  dry,  and  then  grind  it  to  coarse 
crumbs  in  our  bone  mill.  The  first  feed  in  the  morning 
is  bread  crumbs  slightly  moistened  with  milk  or  water ; 
the  second,  about  nine  o'clock,  is  oatmeal  moistened  as 
above ;  about  eleven,  bread  crumbs  again,  about  half-past 
one,  oatmeal,  and  about  four  o'clock  a  little  cracked 
wheat  or  cracked  corn. 

There  has  been  much  dispute  as  to  how  soon  dry 
grain  or  cracked  grain  should  be  fed  to  chicks.  An 
article  upon  chicken  feeding,  by  Mr.  "W.  Yale,  in 
Feathered  World  (London),  says:  "The  chick  cannot 
be  too  soon  supplied  with  food  that  will  require  the 
grinding  power  of  the  gizzard  to  be  properly  brought 
into  action.  Soft  food  will  not  do  this,  consequently 
more  or  less  dry  food  must  be  supplied.  In  the  gizzard 
with  the  aid  of  some  grit,  the  woody  fiber  enveloping 
the  most  nutritious  parts  of  seeds  and  grain  is  ground 
into  atoms,  also  the  nutritious  parts  thus  prepared  for 
digestion  and  assimilation.  Some  gritty  substance  is 
absolutely  essential;  for,  without  it,  the  gizzard  cannot 


EXPERT       CHICKEN       FEEDING  21 

properly  perform  its  work.  Even  baby  chicks  should 
be  fed  upon  a  sanded  floor.  The  gritty  matter  should 
be  as  hard  and  sharp  as  possible,  so  that  it  will  grind 
up  bones  and  such  like  substance.  When  chicks  are 
young,  broken  wheat,  coarse  oatmeal,  canary  seed  and 
hemp  seed  are  each  suitable.  They  should  not  have 
much,  if  any,  Indian  corn,  as  it  makes  them  too  fat,  and 
thus  renders  them  liable  to  a  variety  of  ailments.  For 
stock  purposes  a  fat  fowl  is  worse  than  useless,  for  its 
progeny  is  almost  certain  to  be  weak." 

Green  food  must  be  supplied.  If  the  chicks  are 
cooped  upon  fresh  grass  the  problem  is  solved  and  they 
will  help  themselves  to  what  they  need.  If,  however, 
they  are  confined  in  small  yards,  finely  cut  grass,  as 
from  the  lawn  mower,  onion  tops  chopped  fine,  lettuce 
leaves,  or  even  boiled  vegetables,  will  make  a  good  sub- 
stitute. T]ie  grass  run  is  the  thing  if  possible,  and 
substitutes  are  only  suggested  where  the  grass  run  is 
unobtainable. 

Fresh,  cool  water  is  kept  constantly  accessible  and 
a  drink  can  be  taken  when  wanted. 

Grit  is  another  necessity.  Don't  think  the  chicks 
can  find  this  themselves.  That  is  one  of  the  commonest 
mistakes  in  rearing  chicks.  Have  a  little  dish  of  grit, 
or  fine  gravel,  or  coarse  sand,  or  broken  oyster  shells, 
or  broken  crockery,  or  pounded  bricks,  or  even  fine 
clinkers  from  coal  ashes,  such  as  will  pass  through  a 
quarter-inch  mesh  sieve,  but  won't  pass  through  an 
eighth-inch  mesh  sieve;  all  these  are  good,  and  one  of 
them  at  least  is  get-at-able. 

For  the  benefit  of  those  who  cannot  get  waste 
bread  we  give  Mr.  I.  K.  Felch's  rule  for  his  excelsior 
meal  breacl:  "Grind  into  a  fine  meal  in  the  following 
proportions:  twenty  pounds  corn,  fifteen  pounds  oats, 
ten  pounds  barley,  ten  pounds  wheat  bran.  We  make 
the  cake  by  taking  one  quart  of  sour  milk  or  buttermilk. 


22  POULTRY      TEEDIXG      AND      lATTENIXG 

adding  a  little  salt  and  molasses,  one  quart  of  water  in 
which  a  large  heaping  teaspoonful  of  saleratus  has  been 
dissolved,  then  thicken  all  with  the  excelsior  meal  to 
a  little  thicker  batter  than  your  wife  does  for  corn  cakes. 
Bake  in  shallow  pans  till  thoroughly  cooked.  We  be- 
lieve a  well-appointed  kitchen  and  brick  oven  pays,  and 
in  the  baking  of  this  food  enough  for  a  week  can  be 
cooked  at  a  tinie.'^ 

Wright's  "Practical  Poultry  Keeper"  says :  "With 
regard  to  feeding,  if  the  question  be  asked  what  is  the 
best  food  for  chickens,  irrespective  of  price,  the  answer 
must  decidedly  be  oatmeal.  After  the  first  meal  of 
bread  crumbs  and  egg,  no  food  is  equal  to  it,  if  coarsely 
ground  and  only  moistened  so  much  as  to  remain 
crumbly.  The  price  of  oatmeal  is,  however,  so  high  as 
to  forbid  its  use  in  general,  except  for  valuable  breeds; 
but  we  should  still  advise  it  for  the  first  week  in  order 
to  lay  a  good  foundation." 

We  are  obliged  to  differ  with  ^Ir.  AVright  as  to 
oatmeal  being  an  expensive  food  for  chicks.  It  cer- 
tainly looks  expensive  to  pay  six  dollars  a  barrel  (three 
cents  a  pound)  for  oatmeal  for  chicken  food,  but  it 
spends  so  well,  goes  so  far,  that  we  have  found  it  an 
economical  food.  We  used  fifty  dollars^  worth  last  year, 
practically  ten  cents  per  chick  raised,  and  it  made  two- 
fifths  of  their  food  from  shell  to  laying  maturity. 
Considered  simply  as  a  food  ration,  it  is  economical, 
but  when  we  consider  that  "good  foundation"  which  it 
makes,  it  becomes  even  more  desirable.  A  good  founda- 
tion in  the  chick  means  eggs  in  the  basket  the  next  fall 
and  winter;  hence  oatmeal  is  a  cheap  food,  in  the  best 
sense  of  the  term. 

For  the  first  six  weeks  I  feed  five  times  a  day,  or 
about  once  in  two  and  one-half  hours,  and  after  the 
chicks  are  six  weeks  old  I  feed  four  times  a  day. 


EXPERT       CHICKEN       FEEDING  23 

The  breakfast  is  bread  crumbs,  continued  until 
they  are  about  ten  weeks  old,  when  they  are  graduated 
into  the  morning  mash  such  as  we  feed  to  our  fowls. 
About  ten  o'clock  they  have  a  feed  of  the  coarsest 
oatmeal  moistened;  about  half-past  one  o'clock  a  light 
feed  of  cracked  wheat  or  cracked  barley  (the  latter  is  a 
by-product  of  a  cereal  manufactory,  and  an  excellent 
food),  and  about  five  o'clock,  whole  wheat  or  cracked 
corn,  one  one  day,  the  other  the  next.  Twice  a  week 
we  have  fresh  meat  (butchers'  trimmings),  cooked  and 
chopped,  which  is  mixed  in  with  the  coarsest  oatmeal 
(about  half  and  half)  for  the  second  feed.  We  have, 
also,  a  bone  cutter,  and  twice  or  three  times  a  week  the 
chicks  have  a  good  time  wrestling  and  tumbling  over 
each  other  in  their  eagerness  to  get  the  fresh  cut  bone. 

Not  having  a  bone  cutter,  we  should  mix  some  bone 
meal  into  the  moistened  bread  crumbs  for  breakfast,  and 
about  three  times  a  week  we  sprinkle  in  a  little  condition 
powder  as  a  condiment  to  promote  digestion  and  good 
health.  We  intend  to  vary  the  food  ration  continually 
within  the  range  here  described.  For  instance,  one  day 
the  food  will  be  bread  crumbs,  oatmeal,  cracked  wheat, 
cracked  corn;  the  next  day,  bread  crumbs,  oatmeal  and 
chopped  meat,  cracked  barley,  whole  wheat;  the  next 
day,  bread  crumbs,  cut  bone,  oatmeal,  cracked  corn 
and  so  on. 

The  rule  is  to  feed  only  what  the  chicks  will  eat 
up  clean  and  quickly ;  but  we  break  over  the  rule  so  far 
as  the  last  feed  is  concerned,  and  the  boy  goes  around 
a  second  time,  twenty  to  thirty  minutes  after  feeding, 
and  if  it  is  all  eaten  up  clean,  three  or  four  handfuls 
more  are  put  down,  so  that  all  shall  have  a  chance  to 
*^fill  up"  for  the  night.  If  a  handful  is  left  uneaten 
it  quickly  disappears  in  the  morning,  and  as  it  is  always 
dry  grain,  it  does  not  sour,  and  there  is  no  danger  from 
leaving  a  little.     Grit,  in  the  shape  of  screened  gravel. 


24  POULTRY      FEEDING      AND      EATTENIXG 

is  also  always  by  them,  and  ground  oyster  shells  are 
given  them  about  twice  a  week.  As  there  are  no  trees 
in  our  fields  we  provide  a  temporary  shelter  for  shade, 
making  a  slanting  roof  near  each  coop.  This  helps 
each  family  to  identify  its  own  home,  and,  besides, 
shelter  from  the  hot  sun  is  shelter  from  the  rain  also, 
and  the  feed  boards  are  put  under  it  in  wet  weather. 
With  this  liberal  feeding  of  a  varied  food  ration  the 
pullets  will  begin  to  lay  in  October  and  the  fowls  are 
then  turned  off  to  the  butcher,  the  houses  cleaned  up 
and  whitewashed  and  the  pullets  moved  in. 


CHAPTER   III 
BROILER  RAISING 

THIS  industry  requires  both  skill  and  capital.  A 
successful  broiler  plant  should  be  run  in  con- 
nection with  an  egg  farm,  so  that  the  eggs  mav' 
be  supplied  from  the  home  yard.  In  winter  time 
purchased  eggs  often  either  get  chilled  or  are  infertile. 
The  second  requisite  to  success  is  a  good  incubator. 
Hens  cannot  do  the  hatching  during  cold  weather.  The 
incubator  must  be  so  constructed  that  it  will  furnish  a 
uniform  temperature  throughout.  The  heat  should 
never  fall  below  101  degrees  nor  go  above  103. 

The  brooder  is  important  after  the  chickens  have 
been  hatched.  A  brooder  must  be  so  constructed  that 
it  is  always  a  little  warmer  in  the  center  than  in  other 
portions.  The  temperature  should  be  kept  close  up  to 
100  degrees  for  two  or  three  days.  x\fter  that  ninety- 
five  degrees  is  about  right  for  the  remainder  of  the  first 
week,  after  which  reduce  the  temperature  five  degrees 
each  week  until  seventy  degrees  is  reached. 

An  even  temperature  seems  the  key  to  raising 
healthy  winter  chicks.  Visiting  the  Rhode  Island 
poultry  school  in  1901,  the  writer  saw  600  in  a  room 
fifteen  by  twenty-eight  feet  heated  by  steam  pipes  and 
radiators  to  a  uniform  temperature  of  about  seventy- 
two  degrees  day  and  night,  except  for  the  first  few  days 
of  the  chickens'  life,  when  the  temperature  was  eighty- 
five  to  ninety.  They  were  kept  in  small  flocks  in 
brooder  boxes  and  fed  as  usual.  Although  the  chickens 
never  breathed  outdoor  air  from  hatching  to  the  time 
when  at  eight  or  ten  weeks  of  age  they  were  marketed 
as  broilers,  they  seemed  very  strong,  active  and  thrifty, 
and  not  over  fiJfteen  per  cent  were  lost  or  proved  defect- 

D.  H.  HILL  LIBRARY 

North  Carolina  State  Coll  see 


;^0  J'ULLTKY      IKEDIXG      AND      lATTEXING 

ive  from  am'  cause;  a  fine  showing  for  January  chicks. 
Some  of  these  chicks  were  raised  to  maturity  and  proved 
equal  to  the  average  to  all  appearances,  although  the 
first  ten  or  twelve  weeks  of  their  lives  had  been  passed 
wholly  in  the  room  mentioned. 

At  the  same  time  this  experiment  was  going  on 
other  chickens  hatched  and  fed  in  the  same  way  as  these 
just  described  were  being  reared  in  brooders  heated 
separately  by  lamps  in  the  usual  manner,  and  about  one- 
half  of  them  died  from  lung  and  other  diseases  before 
reaching  the  broiler  size.  The  manager  of  the  warm 
room  experiment,  Dr.  Cooper  Curtice,  writes  as  follows 
describing  the  feeding: 

"Many  people  have  asked,  on  seeing  the  healthy- 
growing,  well-feathered  young  chicks,  what  food  we  were 
using.  The  winter's  experience,  in  which  a  variety  of 
grains  were  used,  indicates  that  it  is  not  so  much  what 
the  food  is  as  how  the  food  is  supplied,  providing  there 
are  plenty  of  starchy,  albuminous  and  green  matters. 
In  nature,  small  seeds,  insects  and  grass  furnish  food 
for  chickens.  These  are  most  abundant  in  the  spring 
and  summer  months,  and  it  is  at  this  time  that  tho 
chickens  thrive.  To  secure  the  best  results,  foods 
simulating  both  the  composition  and  the  mechanical 
character  of  these  should  be  supplied.  For  instance,  in 
the  summer  tlie  tips  of  grasses  are  young  and  tender 
and  easily  broken  by  the  chickens.  For  green  stuff  to 
be  easily  assimilable,  some  plant  should  be  supplied 
which  may  also  be  easily  broken.  We  have  found 
hanging  a  head  of  lettuce  in  the  brooder  by  a  string  to 
exactly  furnish  the  desired  want  and  be  greedily,  even 
crazily,  eaten  by  the  chickens.  "We  have  found  that 
sifting  the  cracked  corn,  scraps  and  cracked  wheat 
through  sieves,  so  as  to  remove  both  the  meal  and  larger 
pieces,  gives  favorable  results.  ^Millet  seeds,  broken  rice, 
rolled   oats,   and   other  things   of  this   character  were 


BROILER       RAISING  27 

greedily  eaten  and  well  digested.  For  meat  for  the 
youngest  chickens,  we  have  given  the  sterile  eggs  boiled 
hard  and  ground  through  a  sausage  machine.  While  it 
is  preferable,  if  one  has  time,  to  chop  the  egg  fine  and 
mix  it  with  bran,  or  even  feed  it  a  little  at  a  time  to 
the  chickens,  we  found  it  satisfactory  to  mix  it  with  the 
bran  until  it  was  crumbly  and  feed  it  in  bulk;  a  suffi- 
cient quantity  being  given  for  the  number  of  chickens 
in  the  brooder.  Mixing  the  eggs  with  cracker  did  not 
succeed  with  us  as  well  for  very  young  chicks,  although 
it  is  fed  by  others  apparently  without  harm.  As  the 
chickens  grew  older  meat  scraps  were  substituted.  These 
were  usually  sifted,  added  to  the  grain  ration,  and 
strewn  upon  the  floor  of  the  brooder.  Boiled  liver  and 
animal  meal  were  also  used,  but  there  was  very  little 
difl'erence  in  the  gain  of  the  different  chickens  when 
fed  upon  the  animal  meal,  meat  scraps  or  egg. 

"One  mixture  of  seeds  was  made  as  follows,  at  the 
suggestion  of  the  poultryman:  For  chicks  from  one 
day  to  six  weeks  old :  Mix  four  parts  cracked  oats,  one 
of  fine  cracked  wheat,  two  of  rolled  oats,  one-half  of 
millet  seed,  one-half  of  broken  rice,  and  two  of  fine 
scraps.  For  the  first  two  weeks  we  have  added  one 
pint  of  millet  seed,  leaving  out  scraps  during  the  first 
week.  Boiled  eggs,  three  for  each  fifty  chicks,  have 
also  been  fed.  After  six  weeks,  and  up  to  ten  weeks, 
feed  the  folloAving  mixture:  Mix  four  parts  cracked 
corn,  two  of  fine  cracked  corn,  one  of  rolled  oats,  one- 
half  of  millet,  one-half  of  broken  rice,  one  of  gi'it,  and 
two  of  scraps. 

"For  chicks  kept  in  the  colony  system  give  for 
grain  three  parts  wheat  and  four  of  cracked  corn.  Also 
give  the  following  mash  three  times  per  week  and  daily 
after  ten  weeks:  Mix  one  part  ground  corn,  one  of 
ground  oats,  and  one  of  brown  shorts.  To  feed  the  meat 
scraps  we  made  the  seed-feed  into  a  mash  with  boiling 


28  rOULTKY      FEEDIXG      AND      PATTEXING 

water,  mixed  the  scraps  with  it  and  covered  the  mass 
until  it  was  ttcII  steamed.  This  mash  seems  to  hasten 
the  growth  of  the  chicks.  "While  it  seemed  necessary 
to  feed  the  youngest  chicks  rather  oftener,  those  ten 
days  old  were  fed  mash  in  the  morning,  green  food  at 
noon,  and  dry  seeds  at  night,  allowing  them  to  fill  their 
crops.  "When  fed  oftener  they  seemed  to  get  satiated 
and  had  no  desire  to  eat." 

An  illustration,  Figure  1,  shows  the  poultry  super- 
intendent and  some  of  the  students  feeding  these  chick- 
ens. The  grain  being  thrown  on  very  coarse  gravel 
provides  a  great  deal  of  heayj  scratching  for  the  chicks 
without  causing  much  dust  or  dirt.  An  illustration. 
Figure  2,  shows  several  of  these  winter  broilers  as 
prepared  for  market. 

It  is,  of  course,  not  ^practicable  for  many  broiler 
raisers  to  use  a  warm  room  in  the  house  as  just 
described,  but  some  attention  to  the  brooder  rooms  in 
the  line  of  tightness  and  warmth  will  tend  toward  the 
same  good  results. 

For  later  broiler  chickens,  which  include  the 
majority  grown,  the  weather  changes  are  less  severe, 
and  the  birds  will  do  bettor  if  got  outdoors  as  soon  after 
hatching  as  the  weather  permits. 

Growing  Small  Broilers — Poultry  specialties  are 
becoming  still  further  specialized.  Most  of  the  large 
growers  have  some  special  sub-branch  to  which  they 
devote  more  attention  and  from  which  they  get  the 
greater  part  of  their  profit. 

At  Owls  Xest  Farm  in  Middlesex  coimty,  Mass., 
the  specialt}^  is  the  growing  of  small  broilers,  which  are 
sold  at  a  weight  of  about  three-fourths  pound  dressed. 
Chickens  of  this  size  are  from  five  to  eight  weeks  old, 
smaller  than  pigeons,  and  to  the  average  farmer  would 
look  too  insignificant  for  any  use,  but  the  swell  clubs 


oO  POULTKY      PEEDIXG      AND      FATTEXIXG 

and  high-class  hotels  in  Boston  are  glad  to  pay  seventy- 
live  cents  for  them  in  winter  and  spring.  (See  Figure  2.) 
Owls  Kest  Farm  has  been  run  for  several  years 
and  has  built  up  a  large  trade  of  the  above  description ; 
285  of  these  small  broilers  are  sold  from  January  1  to 
January  20,  mostly  to  clubs  and  high-class  private  trade 
in  Boston.  This  branch  of  the  business  is  continued 
the  year   round,  although  prices   grow   lower   in  the 


Fig.   2 — TWELVE-OUNCE  BROILERS  DRESSED  FOR  MARKET 

summer  and  fall.  Incubators  are  started  the  last  third 
of  January,  and  from  8000  to  10,000  chickens  are 
hatched  out  during  the  year.  The  breeds  used  for 
broilers  are  Wyandots  and  Plymouth  Rocks.  Said 
Superintendent  Woodland:  "Even  for  light  weight 
broilers  such  as  we  produce,  the  small  breeds  like  the 


BROILER      RAISING     ,  31 

Leghorns  are  not  satisfactor3\  They  need  to  be  two 
weeks  older  than  the  Plymouths  to  give  the  same  weight. 

"The  chickens  are  not  fed  for  the  first  day  after 
hatching.  Their  first  food  consists  of  broken  crackers 
softened  in  water,  cooked  mush  and  bird  seeds.  They 
are  fed  very  often  at  first,  four  or  five  times  or  oftener, 
each  day.  As  soon  as  they  get  well  started  their  main 
soft  ration  is  a  mixture  of  corn  meal  and  middlings, 
half  and  half,  which  is  made  early  in  the  morning  and 
allowed  to  stand  until  about  nine  o'clock  and  fed  warm. 
The  first  feed,  fed  very  early  in  the  morning,  is  hard 
grain.  Cracked  corn,  cracked  wheat  or  cracked  oats 
are  fed  at  noon  and  at  night.  They  get  one  quart  of 
meat  scraps  in  the  mush  for  each  3000  chickens.  Eor 
green  food  they  have  cabbages  to  peck  at  and  clover 
hay  steamed.  Mica,  grit,  charcoal  and  water  are  kept 
constantly  by  them. 

"They  are  kept  warm  by  hot  water  pipes  about  six 
inches  from  the  floor  of  the  pen.  Sand  is  filled  in 
under  the  pipes  to  varying  bights,  according  to  the  size 
of  the  chickens.  The  ends  of  the  pipes  nearest  the 
broiler  are  warmest  and  the  youngest  chickens  are  kept 
there.  A  great  point  in  raising  healthy  winter  chicks 
is  to  keep  them  scratching.  The  grain  and  bird  seed 
is  always  fed  in  sand  or  litter  in  order  to  make  the 
chickens  work  for  it.  All  our  chicks  are  raised  by 
incubators  and  brooders,  and  by  comparison  with  hens 
which  are  used  some  years  we  find  that  we  can  hatch 
and  raise  twenty-five  per  cent  more  chicks  by  using 
incubators  and  brooders. 

"In  finishing  off  chickens  for  market,  something 
depends  upon  our  orders.  When  a  lot  of  chickens  are 
needed  in  a  hurry  two  or  three  weeks  hence,  they  are 
put  in  a  fattening  pen  and  fed  all  they  will  stand. 
Giving  as  great  a  variety  of  food  as  possible  in  feeding 
them,  just  before  they  get  all  they  want  the  dishes  are 


33  PODLTEY     FEEDING     AND     FATTENING 

taken  away,  leaving  them  a  little  hungry.  Then  the 
next  feeding  time  they  will  be  looking  for  more.  They 
would  not  stand  this  high  feeding  process  very  long  at 
a  time,  but  when  they  are  to  go  to  market  in  two  or 
three  weeks,  they  can  be  quickest  finished  off  in  this 
manner.  Chickens  which  are  to  be  kept  a  longer  time 
must  be  fed  less,  kept  hungry  all  the  time,  so  that  they 
are  ready  to  fly  out  of  the  pen  when  the  man  comes 
around  with  the  feed.  Tliey  must  be  kept  scratching. 
The  best  we  can  do,  we  lose  an  average  of  three  or  four 
a  day  in  winter. 

''"When  the  chickens  are  wanted  for  market  they  are 
carried  in  baskets  to  the  killing  house,  where  they  are 
dispatched  by  stabbing  the  back  of  their  mouth  with  a 
lancet.  The  head  is  not  removed.  They  are  not  fed 
for  twenty-four  hours  before  killing  and  the  entrails 
are  not  removed.  They  are  dry  picked  and  packed  in 
pairs  in  pasteboard  boxes  made  to  fit.  There  is  an  ice 
box  for  cooling  the  dressed  poultry  in  summer." 

Intensive  farming  in  or  near  a  city,  where  the 
market  is,  can  be  carried  on  in  no  better  way  than  in  th.} 
raising  of  broilers.  The  following  account  of  a  city 
broiler  plant  is  by  W.  M.  Hayes,  Hampden  county, 
Mass. :  "My  lot  is  fifty  by  150  feet,  with  a  two-tene- 
ment house  and  stable  that  accommodates  nine  horses 
and  sheds  to  cover  wagons,  sleighs,  etc.  The  brooder 
quarters,  as  shown  in  Figure  3,  occupy  the  second  floor 
of  the  wagon  shed,  fourteen  by  fifty-two  feet.  The  only 
heat  obtained  is  from  tlie  brooder  stoves. 

''The  brooders  are  arranged  in  a  series,  side  by  side, 
each  two  and  one-half  by  four  feet  and  without  hovers. 
They  are  entirely  homemade  affairs  and  I  consider  them 
as  practical  as  any  without  a  regulator.  One  of  the 
incubators  holds  3G0  to  400  hens'  eggs,  the  other  110 
eggs.  My  first  hatch  was  December  3.  From  then 
until  summer  I  hatched  1279   chicks  and  raised  as 


BilOILJilU      RAISING 


33 


broilers  or  sold  to  be  raised  1067.  I  hatch  thoroughbred 
stock,  as  sach  sell  more  readily.  I  sold  several  hundred 
at  fifteen  to  seventy-live  cents  each,  according  to  size 
and  age,  to  be  raised.  Those  that  reached  broilers  so 
as  to  dress  one  and  one-half  pounds  brought  at  whole- 
sale $1.20  per  pair  and  $1.50  to  private  trade. 

"The  most  delicate  part  of  this  business  is  to  raise 
them.  Where  there  is  no  room  to  spread  out  growing 
stock,  one  must  almost  live  with  them  to  be  able  to 


Fig.     3 BROILER    RAISING     QUARTERS     ON     A     CITY     LOT 

satisfy  their  needs.  They  must  be  kept  clean  and 
healthy.  I  have  learned  that  it  is  not  any  particular 
kind  of  food  that  is  sure  to  raise  the  little  artificially 
hatched  orphans;  more  depends  on  proper  temperature, 
ventilation  and  cleanliness  than  any  prescribed  method 
of  feedinof. 


84  POULTRY     PEEDIXG     AND     FATTEXIXG 

"The  first  three  or  four  hours  after  taking  from 
the  incubator,  put  them  in  a  clean  brooder  tliat  has 
been  heated  to  ninety  degrees  with  top  heat.  The  floor 
is  covered  one-half  inch  deep  with  sharp  sand  and 
sprinkled  over  the  sand  is  a  little  chicken  grit. 

"Their  first  feed  is  a  very  little  rolled  oats;  feed 
sparingly  the  first  day,  and  also  for  a  week.  After 
being  in  the  brooder  twenty-four  hours,  they  are  fed 
every  two  hours  for  three  weeks,  chiefly  on  rolled  oats, 
fine  cracked  corn  and  millet  seed.  From  the  first  hour 
in  the  brooder,  they  are  allowed  all  the  fresh  cold 
water  they  want.  I  have  constantly  before  them  in  self- 
feeding  boxes  dry  wheat  bran,  grit,  charcoal  and  bono 
meal.  I  am  often  surprised  to  see  how  much  dry  bran 
they  eat.  At  three  weeks  I  give  one  feed  a  day  of  warm 
mash  until  nine  weeks  old,  when  they  have  all  hard 
grain. 

"Chicks  like  a  variety,  and  I  have  to  keep  them 
guessing  what  they  are  going  to  get  next.  It  is  fun  to 
steal  in  on  them  on  the  quiet  and  see  them  all  rubber- 
necking in  their  curious  way  to  see  what  is  to  come 
next.  I  always  find  pleasure  in  feeding  almost  any 
kind  of  green  food,  as  well  as  profit ;  then  when  the  time 
comes  to  feed  fresh  meat  and  bone,  to  see  the  little 
anxious,  hungry  things  go  over  and  over  each  other  in 
their  eager  way  to  get  the  first  mouthful  of  that  favor- 
ite meal. 

"If  you  use  a  brooder  house  in  the  second  stor}', 
you  must  look  out  for  leg  weakness,  as  the  sand  and 
litter  become  very  dr}-,  and  I  find  it  necessary  to  sprin- 
kle the  runs  at  night  after  they  have  gone  to  bed.  I  had 
great  difficulty  in  getting  eggs  with  good,  strong  germ?, 
which  are  most  essential  in  raising  chickens.  I  do  not 
believe  it  is  possible  to  produce  good,  strong-germed 
eggs  from  fowls  that  are  closely  confined;  give  them 
lots  of  range.'^ 


BROILER      RAISING  35 

Small  Broilers — Chickens  hatched  in  December  can 
be  sold  at  eight  to  ten  weeks  of  age  when  dressing 
twelve  to  sixteen  ounces  each;,  and  after  March  1  will 
bring  the  shipper  ninety  cents  per  pair.  Those  most 
in  demand  dress  one  pound  each.  These  are  called 
'^squab  broilers^^  or  "individual  chickens,"  and  as  tho 
supply  of  game  decreases  from  year  to  year,  there  is 
more  demand  for  these  small  broilers,  and  it  is  quite 
profitable  for  raisers  to  use  this  size  unless  they  have 
ample  room  to  carry  a  small  proportion  over  as  roasting 
stock.— [W.  D.  Eudd. 

To  Finish  Broilers  for  Market — ^When  nearly  large 
enough  for  broilers  put  tlie  chickens  into  a  pen  having 
a  shady  run  and  a  shady  side.  Here  give  them  clean, 
fresh  water  once  or  twice  a  day,  and  all  the  fattening 
food  they  can  eat.  Muscle  and  bone-making  foods, 
remember,  are  not  required.  Corn  in  various  forms, 
however,  should  be  fed  freely  to  them.  Cooked  corn, 
mashed  corn  and  ground  corn,  as  well  as  whole  corn, 
should  be  fed  every  day.  Warm  potatoes  and  bread 
crumbs  will  also  make  fat.  Any  kind  of  milk  and  a 
little  sugar  will  likewise  help  along  the  fattening  process, 
and  this  should  be  as  fast  as  possible,  for  during  these 
days  the  chicks  will  eat  considerable,  and  if  they  do  not 
lay  on  fat  every  hour  it  will  be  a  losing  operation. 

To  get  hens  which  will  produce  eggs  for  hatching 
in  December,  January  and  February,  hatch  the  pullets 
early,  keep  them  growing  and  get  them  to  laying  so 
that  by  the  time  eggs  are  wanted  you  have  them  for  the 
incubator.  Keep  the  pullets  growing  well  during  the 
summer.  Feed  wheat  and  mixed  grains.  Keep  free 
from  vermin.  Place  in  winter  quarters  about  October  15. 

Dressing  and  Marketing  Broilers — AYe  scald,  pick 
all  broilers  and  ship  in  barrels  to  Chicago,  where  we  get 
from  eighteen  to  twent3^-two  cents  per  pound.  We  take 
the  feathers  off,  but  leave  the  head  and  feet  on,  and 


36  POULTRY      FEEDIXG     AXD      FATTENING 

leave  them  undrawn.  If  sliipped  in  warm  weather  we 
crush  ice  and  put  in  a  layer  of  hroilers,  then  a  large 
scoop  of  ice  and  so  on  until  barrel  is  full,  then  put  on 
a  piece  of  ice  weighing  about  twenty-five  pounds.  Put 
burlap  over  that  and  nail  fast  to  barrel.  If  picked  in 
cold  weather  use  brown  paper  to  line  barrel,  also  use  as 
layers  between  broilers.  In  scalding,  do  not  scald  head. 
If  you  do,  it  will  look  pale  and  white  and  make  the  chick 
look  as  if  it  was  sick  when  killed,  but  if  not  scalded  will 
show  up  red.  This  will  make  a  difference  of  one  to  one 
and  one-half  cents  on  the  poimd.  After  they  are  picked, 
plump  them  in  hot  water  not  quite  to  a  boil,  then  throw 
them  at  once  in  a  barrel  of  cold  water.  After  you  arc 
through  picking  and  have  the  barrel  full,  throw  some 
salt  in  the  water  over  them.  It  will  draw  the  blood 
out  of  the  skin  and  make  them  show  up  white.  Leave 
them  in  cold  water  until  thoroughly  cooled  out,  which 
will  take  from  six  to  eight  hours  in  hot  weather. — 
[Burt  Curr)^,  Tennessee. 


CHAPTER  IV 
NUTRITION  FOR  LAYERS 

FOWLS,  even  more  than  any  other  class  of  livo 
stock,  require  variety  in  their  feed.  None  of  the 
single  grains  is  best  for  poultry.  More  than  other 
classes  of  live  stock,  too,  they  require  close  atten- 
tion and  knowledge  on  the  part  of  the  feeder.  It  is 
almost  impossible,  by  direct  experiment,  to  determine 
the  relative  values  of  two  different  grains  as  a  hen  food 
for  egg  production,  because  so  many  other  factors  enter 
into  the  problem  in  each  particular  case. 

If  hens  are  fed  their  grain  feed  in  such  way  that 
they  have  to  exercise  vigorously  to  get  their  daily  feed 
they  are  much  more  apt  to  lay  than  if  fed  in  troughs 
plenty  of  prepared  feed,  allowing  them  to  remain  idle. 
Again,  if  the  rooms  are  either  too  warm  or  too  cold  the 
results  are  not  satisfactory;  or  if  the  supply  of  green 
feed  or  of  mineral  matter  be  insufficient. 

"Wheat  or  rye  is  a  good  feed  for  fowls,  but  should 
constitute  not  over  a  third  of  the  ration.  Buckwheat 
is  also  a  good  feed,  but  starchy,  and  therefore  to  be  fed 
in  limited  quantities  only,  and  even  corn,  which  turns 
out,  on  experiment,  to  be  a  particularly  good  feed, 
notwithstanding  the  opposition  to  it  by  theorists,  should 
not  constitute  the  sole  grain  feed.  Give  a  mixture  of 
the  gi-ain  feeds  scattered  in  cut  straw  or  gravel,  so  the 
hens  will  have  to  scratch,  and  feed  also  cut  bone  and 
plenty  of  grit. 

In  order  to  get  early  eggs  some  extra  feed  in  addi- 
tion to  the  ordinary  ration  generally  given  by  farmers  is 
needed.  As  a  rule  the  trouble  on  the  farm  is  that  after 
corn  is  gathered  there  is  an  overabundance  of  grain 


38  POULTRY      PEEDIXG      AND     FATTENING 

lying  around  and  in  consequence  the  fowls  become  too 
fat.  All  farmers  have  hay  to  spare,  at  least  they  should 
have,  and  a  few  pounds  per  week  fed  to  the  hens  will 
greatly  increase  the  egg  production.  Clover  hay  is  best, 
but  any  kind  is  good.  Feed  as  follows:  Cut  into  as 
short  lengths  as  possible  (one-quarter  to  one-half  inch) 
and  in  the  evening  fill  a  two-gallon  bucket  full,  cover 
and  place  on  the  kitchen  stove  and  allow  it  to  boil  as 
long  as  there  is  fire.  When  the  morning  fire  is  built, 
allow  the  hay  to  heat  again,  then  drain  off  the  water 
and  mix  with  the  hay  three  quarts  of  wheat  bran,  or 
enough  to  make  it  crumbly,  adding  three  pounds  animal 
meal  or  scraps.  This  will  make  two  gallons  of  feed. 
Give  it  to  100  hens  as  a  morning  feed.  Eemember  this 
is  for  cold  weather  and  for  fowls  that  are  at  liberty  on 
the  farm. 

In  the  evening,  late,  supply  what  they  will  consume 
of  corn  one  day,  and  oats  or  wheat  next,  and  so  on.  Be 
sure  to  give  plenty  of  fresh  water  every  day  and  on  very 
cold  mornings  it  is  a  good  idea  to  make  the  water 
slightly  warm.  If  you  do  not,  it  will  freeze  at  once, 
and  be  of  no  service.  Be  sure  the  henhouse  has  good 
tight  ends  and  sides  and  always  front  the  house  to  the 
south.  The  warmer  the  fowls  are  in  winter,  without 
supplying  artificial  heat,  the  more  eggs  they  will  lay 
and  the  earlier  they  will  become  broody. 

It  is  a  mistake  to  feed  poultry  corn  or  wheat  or  corn 
and  wheat  exclusively.  Corn  is  too  rich  in  carbona- 
ceous matter  and  wdieat  is  substituted  by  some  in  order 
to  avoid  making  the  hens  too  fat.  The}"  overlook  the 
fact  that  wheat  contains  a  large  per  cent  of  starch  also, 
and  that  it  will  fatten  poultry  almost  as  readily  as  corn. 
It  contains  more  gluten  than  corn  and  is  therefore 
somewhat  preferable  on  that  account,  but  to  feed 
largely  of  wheat  will  just  as  surely  make  the  hens  over- 
fat  as  corn. 


NUTRITION      FOR     LAYERS  '6\i 

A  mixture  of  wheat  and  corn,  or  corn  and  wheat 
fed  alternately,  will  fatten  the  fowls  quicker  than 
either  fed  alone,  as  variety  helps  digestion  and  less 
waste  is  sustained.  Oats  and  buckwheat  are  excellent 
substitutes  when  needed,  but  no  grain  should  be  fed 
exclusively.  Some  grain  is  all  right,  but  a  part  of  the 
food  for  laying  hens  should  consist  of  something  else. 
Scalded  corn  fodder  or  ensilage,  cooked  turnips,  small 
potatoes,  etc.,  fed  while  warm,  make  excellent  feed. 
The  elements  of  any  egg  are  derived  from  so  many 
sources  that  no  single  food  will  answer  the  purpose. 
Hens  to  lay  well  must  have  a  variety.  To  feed  corn 
and  wheat  but  partially  supplies  their  wants. 

Clover  hay  is  a  first-class  egg  food.  It  may  be 
chopped  fine,  scalded  with  boiling  water  and  allowed 
to  stand  over  night  in  a  covered  vessel.  Next  morning 
mix  with  bran,  season  with  salt  and  feed  warm. 
Furnish  green  food  by  feeding  cabbage,  turnips,  beets, 
potatoes,  etc.  Feed  meat  scraps  two  or  three  times  a 
week.  Give  a  variety  of  grain,  wheat,  oats,  barley, 
buckwheat,  and  as  the  nights  grow  cold,  feed  nice,  sound 
corn  three  times  a  week  for  their  supper.  This  will 
help  keep  up  animal  heat  during  the  long  cold  nights; 
it  is  much  better  if  given  well  warmed.  Beans  and  peas 
fed  twice  a  week  are  good  for  laying  hens.  Linseed 
meal  is  also  beneficial  if  fed  sparingly;  when  given  too 
freely  it  is  apt  to  cause  looseness  of  the  bowels,  and  has 
a  tendency  to  produce  molting.  Plenty  of  sweet  millc 
is  valuable,  also  clabber  and  buttermilk,  though  too 
much  buttermilk  will  often  cause  bowel  trouble. 

Meat,  fresh  or  dried,  is  a  very  good  food.  If  a 
supply  of  poultry  food  be  bought  by  the  quantity  in  the 
fall,  it  will  greatly  lessen  the  feed  bill.  On  almost 
every  farm  there  are  small,  knotty  apples,  potatoes, 
Ijoets,  loose  heads  of  cabbage,  allowed  to  go  to  waste, 
which  if  gathered  and  stored  will  help  furnish  the 


40  POULTRY      TEEDINU      AND      PATTEXIXG 

needed  variety  and  also  materially  lessen  the  expense. 
Do  not  keep  food  constantly  before  the  fowls,  if  you  do 
not  wish  them  to  become  disgusted  and  lose  their 
appetite.  Give  tincture  of  iron  occasionally  in  their 
drinking  water.  Eeliable  tonics  and  condition  powders 
are  all  right  in  their  place,  but  do  not  expect  them 
alone  to  make  eggs  without  giving  the  proper  food,  as 
seems  to  be  the  idea  of  some.  Keep  the  hens  at  work. 
This  is  very  important — you  cannot  give  a  laying  hen 
too  much  exercise  when  cooped.  An  idle  hen  soon  grows 
too  fat  to  lay.  Encourage  them  to  scratch  and  work 
for  their  food,  by  throwing  the  grain  among  a  litter 
of  leaves  and  straw.  Give  them  corn  on  the  cob  and 
throw  them  millet  heads  in  which  the  seed  has  ripened 
and  oats  in  the  sheaf.  Suspend  cabbage  heads  with  the 
heads  downward,  so  that  they  can  barely  reach  them. 
The  hens  that  in  February  are  laying  eggs  for 
hatching  must  have  a  large  amount  of  exercise,  and 
must  be  fed  a  ration  that  will  keep  them  in  good  con- 
dition— neither  too  fat  nor  too  poor — and  they  must 
have  good,  fresh  air,  for  eggs  laid  in  ill-smelling 
quarters  are  not  the  eggs  from  which  to  expect  chickens. 
It  is  easy  enough  to  secure  exercise  for  the  poultry  in 
winter.  Just  fill  the  pens  eight  or  ten  inches  deep  with 
refuse  hay,  corn  butts,  chaff  and  other  litter,  the  whole 
underlaid  with  gravel,  and  keep  the  hens  hungry 
enough  to  work  diligently  for  the  grain  that  is  scattered 
in  it.  Feed  a  scant  breakfast  of  mush  that  has  bran, 
flour,  corn  meal,  crushed  oats  and  some-  kind  of  meat 
meal  in  it,  and  then  keep  the  hens  scratching  all  day 
for  the  few  handfuls  of  wheat  and  cracked  corn  that  are 
thrown,  a  little  at  a  time,  into  the  litter,  keeping  a 
window  open  in  the  pen  when  the  weather  will  permit. 
At  night  give  the  hens  all  the}"  want  of  cracked  corn, 
oats,  wheat  and  barley,  and  keep  grit,  charcoal  and  clean 
water  before  them  all  the  time. 


NUTllITION      FOR      LAYERS  41 

There  is  one  other  item  in  the  bill  of  fare  that  must 
not  be  overlooked  if  we  would  approximate  toward 
summer  conditions.  The  fowls  must  have  green  food, 
and  a  certain  amount  of  bulky  food.  So  feed  cabbage, 
raw,  and  cut  clover  that  has  been  soaked  in  boiling 
water,  giving  these  at  night,  or  with  the  morning  mush, 
or  occasionally  at  noon  (though  not  at  this  time  in 
quantities  to  satisfy  the  fowls'  hunger,  else  scratching 
will  cease),  and  it  will  be  found  that  the  eggs,  if  not 
allowed  to  get  chilled,  contain  strong  and  fertile  germs. 

It  is  generally  considered  that  poultry  like  a  variety 
of  food  and  do  better  when  the  rations  are  frequently 
changed  than  where  one  or  two  things  are  fed  continu- 
ously. A  western  poultry  keeper,  who  has  been  very 
successful  in  securing  winter  eggs,  varies  the  ration 
from  day  to  day  and  feeds  as  follows :  Monday  morn- 
ing, sheaf  oats,  night,  warm  mash;  Tuesday  morning, 
vegetables,  noon,  cut  green  bone,  night,  cracked  corn 
scattered  in  litter;  Wednesday  morning,  sheaf  wheat, 
evening,  warm  mash;  Thursday  morning,  vegetables, 
noon,  whole  wheat  in  litter,  night,  whole  corn  in  litter; 
Friday  morning,  vegetables,  noon,  green  cut  bone,  night, 
cracked  corn  in  litter ;  Saturday  morning,  sheaf  wheat, 
evening,  warm  mash ;  Sunday  morning,  vegetables,  noon, 
whole  wheat  in  litter,  night,  whole  and  cracked  corn 
and  wheat  in  litter. 

The  sheaf  wheat  or  oats  fed  in  the  morning  keep  the 
fowls  busy  all  day,  so  that  na  more  feed  is  required. 
The  mash  consists  of  cooked  potatoes  or  vegetables,  cut 
clover  and  beef  scraps,  all  mixed  in  a  crumbly  mass  with 
some  bran,  shorts,  chop  feed,  a  little  oil  meal  and  salt, 
and  sometimes  a  little  powdered  charcoal.  Clean,  fresh 
water  is  given  them  twice  a  day  and  oyster  shells  and 
grit  are  kept  before  them  at  all  times.  The  houses  arc 
dry  and  warm  and  the  fowls  are  fed  only  as  much  a.^ 
they  will  eat  up  clean. 


i'Z  POULTRY      i'EEDlXG     AND      TATTENING 

Watch  the  Flock — The  feeder  cannot  depend  on 
rules  or  rations  except  in  a  general  way.  He  must 
learn  to  watch  closely  and  adapt  the  food  to  the  con- 
ditions. He  may  judge  of  the  state  of  flesh  by  picking 
up  the  birds  or  passing  his  hand  over  them  while  at 
roost.  Hens  sagging  dawn  behind,  beefy  and  lazy  can 
be  detected  any  time  at  a  glance.  They  should  be 
dieted  or  sent  to  market.  When  hens  are  too  thin  the 
breastbone  is  sharp.  Hens  tend  to  get  too  fat  when 
not  laying  or  sitting,  also  on  approach  of  cold  weather 
in  fall.  The  older  the  fowls  the  more  likely  to  get 
overfat.  Heating  foods,  like  corn,  should  be  reduced 
in  quantity  at  the  approach  of  a  warm  spell.  The 
condition  of  a  flock,  the  weather,  and  the  work  the 
fowls  are  doing  governs  the  ration.  It  is  not  needful 
to  be  constantly  figuring  out  the  nutritive  rations,  etc., 
if  the  owner  has  his  experienced  eye  on  the  birds  them- 
selves, and  understands  the  varied  needs  of  his  flock. 

The  droppings  are  an  important  indication,  writes 
Dr.  Woods:  "The  droppings  should  be  of  sufficient 
consistency  to  hold  their  shape,  but  should  not  be  too 
solid.  In  color  they  should  be  dark,  tapering  off  into 
grayish  and  white.  If  the  droppings  are  watery  and 
dark  with  red  splashes  of  mucus  in  them,  feed  less  meat 
food.  If  droppings  are  soft  or  pasty  and  yellowish  or 
brownish,  feed  more  meat  and  less  starchy  food. 
Greenish  watery  diarrhea  should  always  lead  to  a 
careful  investigation  of  the  sanitary  conditions  and  the 
condition  of  the  food  and  water.     It  is  a  danger  signal.'"' 

Feed  Good  Hens — With  hens,  as  with  cows,  beyond 
a  certain  limit,  all  depends  on  the  individual  animal 
or  bird,  not  on  the  feeding.  The  illustration,  Figure 
4,  A  Good  Layer,  shows  a  hen  wliich  laid  237  large 
eggs  in  a  year.  Tlie  picture.  Figure  5,  of  A  Poor 
La3Tr  depicts  anotlier  meml)pr  of  tlic  same  flock  whicli 
laid  only  thirty-four  eggs  in  tlie  same  period.     A  record 


NL'TIIITION      roil      LAYERS 


43 


of  the  best  layers  is  being  kept  at  the  Maine  experi- 
ment station  with  the  aid  of  trap  nests.     From   the 


GOOD     LAY.ER 


best  hens  will  be  raised  botli  cockerels  and  pullets  with 
the   aim   of   building    a   strain   remarkable    for   heavy 


Fig. 


-A     POOH    LAYER 


laying.     Some  of  the  poor  hens  might  have  been  picked 
out  on  sight  as  lazy  and  beefy  in  appearance,  but  in 


44  POULTltY      lEEDIXG      AND      PATTEXIXG 

other  cases  the  bad  layers  seemed  as  smart,  well  formed 
and  vigorous  as  an}^  The  trap  nest  is  the  onl}^  sure 
way  unless  each  hen  tested  can  be  kept  with  a  flock  of 
another  breed  laying  eggs  of  different  color. 

Feeding  in  Molting  Season — Experiments  in  feed- 
ing fowls  conducted  by  the  Rhode  Island  experiment 
station  seem  to  indicate  that  the  ordinary  rations 
supplied  to  laying  hens  confined  in  yards  during  the 
molting  season  are  deficient  in  animal  food  material. 
The  importance  and  value  of  meat  and  green  bone  in 
furnishing  animal  protein  to  balance  the  starchy  grains 
is  evidenced  by  largely  increased  agg  production  of  the 
fowls  fed  upon  a  narrow  ration,  as  compared  with  that 
of  fowls  receiving  a  wide  or  even  a  medium  ration. 

Whole  or  Ground  Grain — Conclusions  of  the  New 
York  experiment  station:  Two  lots  of  laying  hens,  of 
large  and  small  breeds  respectively,  having  their  grain 
food  only  dry  and  whole,  ate  more  food  at  greater  cost 
per  fowl  and  for  the  live  weight  than  did  two  similar 
lots  having  about  thirty-seven  per  cent  of  their  grain 
ground  and  moistened. 

A  pen  of  Leghorns,  which  had  for  the  year  thirty- 
seven  per  cent  of  tlieir  food  ground  and  moistened 
grain,  produced  eggs  at  a  greater  profit  than  did  an 
exactly  similar  pen  fed  whole  grain. 

Of  two  like  pens  of  Cochins,  the  one  fed  whole 
grain  produced  eggs  at  much  less  cost  than  did  the  pen 
having  ground  grain,  which  result  is  attributed  partly 
to  the  exercise  assured  in  feeding  whole  grain. 

"With  the  kinds  of  whole  grain  ordinarily  available 
it  is  not  possible  to  feed  a  largely  grain  ration  having 
as  narrow  a  nutritive  ratio — that  is,  containing  as  large 
a  proportion  of  the  nitrogenous  food  constituents — as 
is  perliaps  necessary  for  l)est  results  from  laying  hens. 

By  using  some  of  the  highly  nitrogenous  by-prod- 
ucts  (such  as  cottonseed  meal,  pea  meal,  gluten  feed. 


NUTRITION      FOR      LAYERS  45 

etc.)  with  ground  grain,  it  is  possible  to  feed  a  some- 
what narrow  ration  without  feeding  an  excessive  amount 
of  meat. 

With  hens  fed  similar  rations,  when  the  hens  of 
smaller  breeds  give  only  the  same  egg  yield  as  the  hens 
of  larger  breeds,  the  eggs  are  more  cheaply  produced  by 
the  smaller  hens,  but  considering  the  cost  of  raising  and 
the  ultimate  poultry  value  of  the  hens,  the  profits  will 
be  equally  or  more  favorable  for  the  larger  hens. 

What  to  Do  ivith  Fat  Hens—SNhen  a  hen  becomes 
very  fat,  she  is  not  only  a  poor  layer,  but  will  become 
broody,  droopy  at  times,  have  leg  weakness,  and  be 
unfit  for  anything  but  the  pot.  Such  hens  should  be 
fed  only  once,  at  night.  The  meal  should  consist  of  a 
pound  of  lean  meat  to  twenty  hens,  with  a  handful  of 
grain  scattered  for  them  to  hunt  up.  They  will  then 
be  hungry  through  the  day,  and  search  for  food,  while 
the  inducement  of  a  few  grains  throwTi  out  at  night 
will  cause  them  to  keep  at  work  until  late.  Meat  con- 
tains little  of  the  fat  producing  elements,  if  lean,  and 
will  greatly  promote  laying  as  soon  as  the  surplus  fat 
is  removed,  which  can  only  be  done  by  compelling  the 
hens  to  exercise.  If  the  hens  are  kept  on  this  exercise 
diet  for  a  week  or  ten  days,  they  will  be  in  better  health 
afterwards;  and  if  they  lay  well,  the  one  meal  per  day 
may  be  continued. 

A  Fowl's  Digestive  Machine— The  gullet  takes 
root  from  the  back  of  the  beak,  runs  along  the  neck, 
behinl  the  windpipe,  and  ends  in  the  abdomen,  a  little 
to  the  left.  In  the  hen  there  exist  three  divisions  or 
receptacles  for  food.  The  first  one  is  the  crop,  which 
receives  food  as  soon  as  swallowed.  A  little  farther 
along  in  the  breast  is  the  gullet,  which  contracts  and 
expands  so  as  to  form  a  second  receptacle,  with  thick 
walls.  Next  we  find  the  third  receptacle,  very  mus- 
cular and  large,  known  as  the  gizzard. 


46  POULTRY      FEEDIXG      AND      FATTENING 

The  small  stones  swallowed  by  the  fowl  are  found 
in  the  gizzard,  and  naturalists  say  they  facilitate  the 
operation  of  digestion  by  the  contracting  of  the  mus- 
cular lining,  causing  the  stones  to  grind  the  food.  This 
last  stomach  is  formed  by  a  thick  and  very  strong 
muscular  membrane,  the  external  fibers  of  which  are 
of  a  tendonous  nature.  The  internal  membrane  which 
lines  the  gizzard  is  very  thin,  fibrous  and  hard.  It 
secretes  a  coloring  matter,  which  appears  to  have  the 
property  to  dissolve  stones,  principally  carbonate  of 
lime.  Flint  requires  a  longer  process.  Liquids  taken 
as  drink  appear  to  be  absorbed  by  the  first  and  second 
stomachs;  they  are  never  found  in  the  gizzard  unless 
in  case  of  disease.  It  is  worthy  of  remark  that  a  hen 
eats,  when  in  health,  about  two  ounces  of  limy  or  flinty 
sand  a  day.  The  salivar}^  glands  are  small  in  a  fowl 
and  produce  a  liquid  thick  and  slimy,  but  the  quantity 
is  very  small. 

The  liver  is  very  large  and  divided  into  two  lobes 
of  equal  size.  The  gall  bladder  is  attached  to  the  liver 
and  contains  a  thick  bile,  very  bitter.  The  pancreas 
pours  a  fluid  into  the  intestines  by  two  small  tubes. 
The  spleen  is  very  small,  of  cylindrical  shape  and  placed 
behind  the  liver.  Its  function  seems  to  be  to  keep  in 
reserve  and  prepare  the  blood  used  as  one  of  the  secre- 
tions necessary  to  digestion.  The  circulatory  apparatus 
is  not  different  from  that  of  animals.  The  heart  has 
four  qavities  and  the  arteries  are  the  same. 

In  Figure  6  the  abdominal  muscles  have  been 
removed,  as  well  as  the  sternum,  heart,  trachea,  the 
greater  portion  of  the  neck,  and  all  the  head  except  the 
lower  jaw,  which  has  been  turned  aside  to  show  the 
tongue,  the  pharynx  and  the  entrance  to  the  larynx. 
The  left  lobe  of  the  liver,  succentric  ventricle,  gizzard 
and  intestinal  mass  have  been  pushed  to  the  right 
to   exhibit   the    different   portions    of   the   alimentary 


NUTRITION      rOR      LAYERS 


4? 


canal  and  to  expose  the  ovary  and  oviduct.     1,  tongue ; 
2,   pharynx;    3,   first   portion    of   the   oesophagus;   4, 


'Fig.  6 — ^ANATOMY  OF  A  FOWL  (Howard) 
crop ;  5,  second  portion  of  the  oesophagus ;  6,  succentric 
ventricle;  7,  gizzard;  8,  origin  of  the  duodenum;  9, 
first  branch  of  the  duodenal  flexure;  10,  second  branclx 


•±o  rOULTRY      FEEDING     AND      FATTEXIXG 

of  the  Ramc;  11,  origin  of  the  floating  portion  of  the 
small  intestine;  12,  small  intestine;  13,  free  extremities 
of  the  caeca ;  14,  insertion  of  these  two  organs  into  the 
intestinal  tube;  15,  rectum;  16,  cloaca;  17,  anus;  18, 
mesentery;  19,  left  lobe  of  the  liver;  20,  right  lobe; 
21,  gall  bladder;  22,  insertion  of  the  pancreatic  and 
biliary  ducts;  23,  pancreas;  24,  limg;  25,  ovary  (in  a 
state  of  atrophy;  fowl  not  laying)  ;  2G,  oviduct. 

Poultry  Facts — The  body  of  a  fowl  is  composed  of 
more  than  half  water.  For  100  hens  about  sixteen 
quarts  of  clean  water  per  day  are  required.  In  eacli 
dozen  eggs  there  is  about  a  pint  of  water. 

Each  1000  pounds  live  weight  laying  hens  of 
average  size  require  from  sixty-five  to  seventy  pounds 
of  grain  food  per  day.  On  this  ration  the  hen  could 
be  expected  to  produce  from  sixteen  to  thirty  pounds 
of  eggs.  One  pound  of  eggs  may  be  produced  from 
about  three-fourths  pound  of  water-free  food,  and  one 
pound  of  dry  matter  of  eggs  corresponds  to  each  8.8 
pounds  of  water-free  food.  For  the  1000  pounds 
weight  of  hens  of  the  larger  breeds,  forty  to  fifty 
pounds  of  grain  food  per  day,  containing  about  thirty- 
four  pounds  of  water-free  food,  is  sufficient.  The  pro- 
portion of  nutrients  should  be  about  six  pounds 
digestible  protein,  fourteen  pounds  digestible  nitrogen- 
free  extract  and  two  pounds  digestible  fat. 

A  hen  of  the  large  breeds,  when  laying,  requires 
about  four  and  one-quarter  ounces  of  food  per  day; 
Leghorns,  while  laying,  require  about  three  and  one- 
half  ounces  of  food  per  day.  Chickens  require  more 
food  in  proportion  to  their  weight  than  older  fowls,  or 
about  10.6  pounds  to  every  100  pounds  live  weight  per 
day  when  very  young.  At  two  pounds  weight,  the 
ration  required  drops  to  7.5  pounds;  at  three  pounds 
weight  to  6.4  pounds;  at  six  pounds  weight  to  4.9 
pounds;  at  seven  pounds  weight  to  4.7  pounds  per  day. 


NUTRITION      FUR      LAYERS  49 

These  rations  are  for  grain  feed;  green  food  and  extras 
should  also  be  fed. 

Various  Grains — Sorghum  seed  is  somewhat  like 
corn  in  composition  and  effect.  Such  grains  as  Kafir 
corn,  milo  maize,  millet,  durra,  chicken  corn,  may  be 
fed  to  some  extent  in  place  of  wheat  for  variet}'. 
Some  of  these  grains  are  small  and  make  good  chick 
food  or  a  good  scratching  food  for  fowls.  Hulled 
broom  corn  seed  is  about  equal  to  wheat. 

Standard  Grains — Corn  is  heating  and  fattening. 
It  should  be  balanced  with  meat,  bone,  bran,  gluten, 
linseed  and  such  feeds.  Cracked  corn  if  fed  dry  should 
be  sifted  to  prevent  waste.  Corn  on  the  cob  is  a  handy 
farm  feed  and  affords  some  exercise.  Corn  or  meal 
which  has  been  injured  by  heating  and  souring  should 
never  be  given  young  chickens. 

Wheat  is  considered  the  safest  grain,  but  is  usually 
more  expensive  than  corn.  Number  2  wheat  if  bought 
with  care  is  nearly  equal  in  results  to  Number  1,  if 
merely  small,  broken  or  scorched.  But  screenings  con- 
tain many  seeds  not  eaten  b}^  the  fowls,  while  sour  or 
burned  wheat  is  not  satisfactory.  Bran,  shorts  and 
middlings  are  good  with  corn  meal  but  not  relished 
alone.  Waste  bread  from  bakeries,  soaked  and  mixed 
with  middlings,  is  good  for  fowls  and  chicks. 

Oats  are  fed  chiefly  for  variety,  not  being  well 
liked  on  account  of  the  husk,  unless  clipped,  when  they 
are  relished  and  make  one  of  the  best  of  whole  grains 
to  produce  eggs.  They  are  a  good  offset  to  corn  and 
nearly  as  nutritious  as  wheat.  Coarse  oatmeal  ana 
rolled  oats  are  good  chick  food  and  easily  fed  dry. 

Barley  is  much  like  wheat  in  results  but  is  less 
relished.  It  need  not  be  fed  unless  it  can  be  had  cheap. 
Barley  shorts  are  very  nutritious. 

Buckwheat  is  fattening  and  quite  well  liked  Dv 
fowls,  but  not  much  used  except  where  it  is  especially 


60  POULTRY      FEEDING     AND      FATTENING 

low  in  price  or  home  raised.  Buckwheat  middlings  are 
rich  in  egg  material  and  a  good  mixture  with  corn 
meal.  The  same  may  be  said  of  rye  bran,  but  whole 
rye  is  thought  to  cause  bowel  trouble  if  fed  freely. 

Homemade  Egg  Food — The  majority  of  egg  foods 
are  composed  of  those  elements  that  enter  into  the  com- 
position of  an  egg,  and  their  success  depends  upon  the 
fact  that  the}^  suppl}^  material  which  is  often  overlooked 
by  those  who  keep  poultry.  For  instance,  ground  bone, 
ground  meat,  salt  and  charcoal  are  ingredients — the 
first  to  supply  the  phosphates ;  the  second  the  albumen ; 
the  third,  that  which  is  not  often  supplied,  and  the 
fourth  a  corrective.  Hence  two  pounds  of  ground 
bones,  two  pounds  of  ground  meat,  four  ounces  of  salt, 
a  pound  of  charcoal,  two  pounds  of  linseed  meal,  with 
an  ounce  each  of  sulphur,  baking  soda  and  ginger, 
makes  a  very  good  egg  food,  which  may  be  given  to 
six  fowls  daily,  using  a  gill  mixed  with  other  food. 

Egg  Producer — Exhaustive  experiments  have 
proved  that  the  use  of  an  egg  stimulant,  while  it  forces 
the  pullets  to  earlier  laying,  does  not  increase  the  total 
yearly  egg  yield  and  that  there  is  no  profit  in  its  use. 
For  those  who  wisli  to  use  something  of  the  kind,  the 
following  formula  may  be  j^repared  for  about  thirty-five 
cents  and  will  give  an  egg  producer  as  effective  as 
anything:  Cantharides,  ninety  grains;  ginger,  thirty 
ounces;  gentian,  one  and  one-half  ounces;  capsicum, 
six  ounces;  Venetian  red,  two  ounces;  sulphur,  three 
ounces;  charcoal,  one  ounce;  oil  meal,  thirty  ounces; 
ail  should  be  ground  finely  and  well  mixed.  Use  one 
and  one-half  teaspoonfuls  to  the  quart  of  hot  mash, 
which  IS  enough  for  twelve  average  fowls. 

Condition  powders  are  mainly  composed  of  stim- 
ulating, spice-like  drugs,  such  as  gentian,  fenugreek, 
anise  seed,  ginger,  etc.  The  effects  are  because  of  tlie 
tonic  or  stimulating  nature  of  the  materials  emplo^^ed. 


CHAPTEE  V 
SPECIAL  FOODS 

OWING  to  high  prices  of  grain,  which  make  large 
inroads  into  the  receipts  of  poultry  keepers  who 
must  buy  a  large  proportion  of  the  feed,  the 
question  has  often  been  asked  if  something  could 
not  be  used  in  place  of  so  much  grain.  The  hen  has 
a  small  crop  and  cannot  make  use  of  a  great  amount 
of  coarse,  bulky  foods  as  can  cows  and  other  ruminants. 
The  grain  ration  can  be  advantageously  cut  down  one- 
fourth  or  more  by  the  liberal  use  of  clover  and  vegeta- 
bles, but  where  this  is  done  a  large  proportion  of  the 
wheat  bran,  which  is  also  bulky  food,  should  be  left  out. 
Very  finely  cut  clover  or  alfalfa,  or  clover  meal,  can 
be  steamed  and  mixed  with  the  mash,  or  the  noon  ration 
may  consist  of  steamed  clover  to  which  is  added  some 
wheat  middlings  and  corn  meal.  Vegetables  can  be 
fed  either  green  or  boiled  and  mixed  with  the  mash. 
Corn  silage  makes  an  occasional  relish  and  is  very  cheap. 
Whole  grain  should  be  fed  at  least  once  a  day.  Barley 
is  sometimes  one  of  the  most  economical  feeds  to  buy 
and  is  very  good  fed  either  ground  or  whole.  Meat 
scraps  or  green  cut  bone  are  cheap  considering  the 
matter  which  they  contain. 

Animal  Matter — It  is  well  known  that  poultry 
when  allowed  to  range  at  will  eat  considerable  quanti- 
ties of  animal  matter  in  the  form  of  insects,  worms,  etc. 
How  necessary  this  animal  matter  is  to  the  health 
of  fowls,  and  especially  ducks,  was  strikingly  brought 
out  by  experiments  at  the  Xew  York  state  experiment 
station.  Two  lots  each  of  chickens  and  ducks,  as  nearly 
alike  as  possible,  were  used  in  these  experiments.     One 


52  POULTRY      FEEDJXG      AND      FATTEXING 

lot  in  each  case  was  fed  a  ration  of  mixed  gi^ains  and 
skimmilk  or  curd,  containing  no  animal  matter,  the 
other  ration  of  mixed  grains,  with  animal  meal  and 
fresh  bones  or  dried  blood.  The  two  rations  were  about 
equally  well  balanced,  although  the  "animal  matter'' 
ration  contained  a  little  less  protein  than  the  "vegetable 
matter'^  ration.  The  distinctive  difference  between  the 
two  rations  was  that  in  the  one  case  two-fifths  to  one- 
half  of  the  protein  came  from  animal  sources,  while  in 
the  other  it  all  came  from  vegetable  sources.  T^ro 
trials  were  made  with  chickens. 

In  each  trial  more  food  was  eaten  by  the  lot 
receiving  animal  protein,  the  gain  in  weight  was  more 
rapid,  maturity  was  reached  earlier,  less  food  was 
required  for  each  pound  of  gain,  and  the  cost  of  gain 
was  less. 

During  the  first  twelve  weeks  of  the  first  trial 
(starting  with  chickens  one-half  week  old)  the  chicks 
on  animal  meal  gained  fifty-six  per  cent  more  than 
those  on  the  vegetable  diet,  although  they  ate  only 
thirtj'-six  per  cent  more;  they  required  half  a  pound 
less  of  dry  matter  to  gain  one  pound,  and  each  pound 
of  gain  cost  only  four  and  one-quarter  cents,  as  com- 
pared with  five  and  one-fifth  cents  for  the  grain- 
fed  birds. 

During  the  next  eight  weeks  the  cost  of  gain  was 
seven  and  one-half  cents  and  eleven  and  one-fifth  cents, 
respectively.  The  animal-meal  chicks  reached  two 
pounds  in  weight  more  than  five  weeks  before  the 
others;  they  reached  three  pounds  more  than  eight 
weeks  sooner,  and  three  pullets  of  the  lot  began  laying 
four  weeks  earlier  than  any  among  the  grain-fed  birds. 

With  the  second  lot  of  chicks,  starting  at  six  weeks 
of  age,  the  differences  were  in  the  same  direction, 
though  not  quite  so  striking,  thus  showing  that  the  great 
advantage    of   the    animal    nitrogen    is    in   promoting 


SPECIAL     rooDS  53 

quick,  healthy  growth  and  early  maturity  rather  than 
increasing  the  tendency  to  fatten.     (See  Figure  7.) 

The  results  were  most  convincing,  almost  startling, 
in  the  case  of  ducklings  fed  the  contrasted  ration. 
Before  the  experiment  had  been  long  under  way  it  was 
noticed  that  the  animal-meal  birds  were  developing 
rapidly  and  evenly,  but  the  grain-fed  ducklings  were 
becoming  thin  and  uneven  in  size.  It  was  sometimes 
almost  pitiful  to  see  the  long-necked,  scrawny,  grain- 
fed  birds,  with  troughs  full  of  good,  apparently  whole- 
some  food   before   them,   standing   on   the   alert   and 


Total  weiAhfattr'.ined.  Cost  of  food  for 
.Q     I        (TTI  I  Pound  Sain* 


4.8 
\b% 


Jbs_ 
Grain 


DrymatteKinfood 
fo^".*  pound  gain. 

3.1  lbs.    near 


5.2  J bs.    Gram 
Fig.    7 MEAT    AXD     GRAIN     COMPARED 

scrambling  in  hot  haste  after  the  unlucky  grasshopper 
or  fly  which  ventured  into  their  pen,  while  the  con- 
tented-looking meat-fed  ducks  lay  lazily  in  the  sun 
and  paid  no  attention  to  buzzing  bee  or  crawling  beetle. 
The  thirty-two  meat-fed  birds  lived  and  thrived,  but 
the  vegetable-fed  birds  dropped  off  one  by  one,  starved 
to  death  through  lack  of  animal  food,  so  that  only 
twenty  of  the  thirty-three  were  alive  at  the  close  of  the 
fifteenth  week  of  contrasted  feeding.  They  were  then 
fed  for  four  weeks  on  the  meat  meal  ration  and  made 
nearly  as  rapid  gains  as  the  other  lot  at  the  same  size 
two  months  before,  but  they  never  quite  overcame  the 
disadvantage  of  their  bad  start  on  grains  alone. 

In  conclusion,  then,  it  may  be  said  that  rations 
in  which  from  forty  to  fifty  per  cent  of  the  protein  was 


54  POULTliY     lEEDlNG     AND     FATTENING 

supplied  by  animal  food  gave  more  economical  results 
than  rations  drawing  most  of  their  protein  from  vege- 
table sources.  The  chief  advantage  was  in  the  pro- 
duction of  rapid  growth,  although  the  cost  of  production 
is  also  in  its  favor.  While  inferior  palatability  may 
have  had  something  to  do  with  the  marked  results, 
esjDecially  with  the  ducks,  the  whole  bearing  of  these 
experiments  and  others  not  yet  reported  seems  to 
indicate  that  the  superiority  of  the  one  ration  is  due 
to  the  presence  in  it  of  animal  food. 

Ducklings  certainly  need  meat  or  animal  food  in 
some  form.  James  Eankin,  the  veteran  Massachusetts 
duck  raiser,  feeds  one  part  hard-boiled  eggs  and  three 
parts  stale  bread  crumbs  the  first  three  or  four  days. 
After  that  he  gives  equal  parts  wheat  bran,  corn  meal 
and  boiled  potatoes  with  a  little  beef  scrap.  The  largest 
duck  raiser  on  Long  Island,  A.  J.  Hallock,  feeds  equal 
portions  of  w^heat  middlings,  corn  meal,  crackers  or 
bread  crumbs  with  green  food  for  the  first  week.  After 
this  the  ration  is  made  of  four  parts  corn  meal,  two 
of  bran,  one  of  middlings,  one  of  beef  scrap  and  about 
four  parts  green  food.  A  handful  of  sharp  sand  is 
added  to  each  quart  of  the  mixture. 

Fresh  Green  Bone — Green  bones  are  not  used  as 
extensively  as  they  should  be,  because  grain  can  bo 
obtained  with  less  difficulty,  but  as  egg  producing 
material,  the  bone  is  far  superior  to  grain;  nor  does 
the  bone  really  cost  more  than  grain  in  some  sections. 
Bones  fresh  from  the  butcher  have  more  or  less  meat 
adhering,  and  the  more  of  such  meat  the  better,  as  it 
will  cost  no  more  per  pound  than  the  bone,  while  the 
combination  of  both  meat  and  bone  is  almost  a  perfect 
food  from  which  to  produce  eggs. 

If  the  farmer  can  get  two  extra  eggs  per  week  frojn 
each  hen  in  winter,  he  will  make  a  large  profit,  but  it' 
the  product  is  increased  only  one   egg  per  week  in 


SPECIAL      POODS  55 

winter,  that  one  egg  will  pay  for  all  the  food  she  will 
consume,  so  it  pays  to  feed  the  material  that  will  induce 
egg  production.  It  is  frequently  the  case  that  poultry 
receive  a  sufficient  quantity  of  food  but  not  of  the 
proper  kind  to  induce  egg  production. 

A  pound  of  green  cut  bone  per  day  is  sufficient  for 
sixteen  hens  and  such  quantity  ought  not  to  cost  over 
one  cent.  Where  fowls  have  yard  range  one  quart  of 
grain  at  night  and  one  pound  of  cut  bone  should  be 
sufficient  for  sixteen  hens  per  day  in  winter.  In 
summer  only  the  bone  need  be  fed.  Such  a  diet  pro- 
vides fat,  starch,  nitrogen,  phosphates,  lime  and  all  the 
substances  required  for  egg  production.  As  eggs  sell 
for  about  three  cents  in  winter,  it  is  plain  that  it  is 
cheaper  to  feed  bone  than  grain.  In  this  connection 
a  bone  cutter  will  be  found  necessary,  wdiich  may  reduce 
the  profits  the  first  winter,  but  where  a  cutter  is  first 
introduced  among  a  community  of  poultry  keepers  it 
is  more  than  likely  cut  bone  can  be  sold  by  the  pound 
to  neighbors. 

At  the  Ohio  state  university  an  experiment  was 
made  to  test  the  value  of  green  bone  as  a  food  for 
laying  hens  in  connection  with  oyster  shells  and  gravel. 
The  trial  was  made  with  four  divisions  and  two  pens 
in  each  division,  one  of  old  hens  and  one  of  pullets, 
ten  to  each  pen ;  first  division  were  fed  green  cut  bone, 
crushed  oyster  shells  and  gravel,  second  division  received 
green  cut  bone  and  gravel,  third  division  crushed 
oyster  shells  and  gravel,  fourth  division  gravel  only. 
In  the  first  the  ten  pullets  laid  140  eggs,  the  ten 
hens  sixty-four,  total  204;  second  division  pullets 
115,  hens  eight}^  total  195;  third  division,  pullets 
seventy-nine,  hens  four,  total  eighty-three;  fourth 
division,  pullets  fifty-two,  hens  thirteen,  total  sixty-five. 

The  first  division  received  fourteen  pounds  raw 
cut  bone,  two  pounds  oyster  shells  and  all  the  gravel 


5li  POLLTliY      TEEDING     AXD      FATTENING 

they  wanted.  Second  division  received  fourteen  pounds 
raw  cut  bone  and  all  the  gravel  they  wanted.  Third 
division  received  six  pounds  oyster  shells  and  gravel. 
Fourth  division  received  nothing  but  gravel.  Counting 
bone  at  three  cents  per  pound  and  shells  at  two  cents, 
the  hens  fed  with  cut  bone  more  than  doubled  in  value 
of  eggs.  There  was  enough  difference  in  those  fed 
shells  to  more  than  pay  for  the  shell,  but  left  a  narrow 
margin  when  fed  with  bone.  Those  fed  bone  more 
than  doubled  on  those  fed  nothing  but  gravel,  or  by  the 
test  twenty  cents  per  pound  could  have  been  paid  for 
the  cut  bone,  while  eggs  brought  twenty-five  cents  per 
dozen.  The  hens  that  received  the  bone  possessed  a 
much  better  plumage  and  wintered  much  the  better. 

It  is  a  highly  concentrated  food  and  must  be  used 
cautiously.  The  only  danger  lies  in  feeding  too  much" 
or  in  feeding  that  which  is  sour  or  moldy.  The  one 
results  in  forcing  the  chicks  or  fowls  "off  their  feed," 
and  in  leg  troubles,  and  the  other  in  diarrhea  and  bowel 
complaints.  The  maximum  ration  for  laying  hens  is 
one-half  ounce  per  day. 

The  use  of  green  cut  bone  not  only  increases  egg 
production,  but  lessens  the  food  cost  of  eggs.  This  is 
very  clearty  shown  by  an  experiment  carried  out  by  the 
Hatch  experiment  station  of  Massachusetts  a  few  j^ears 
ago  with  two  lots  of  hens  and  pullets,  nineteen  in  each 
lot,  and  continuing  seventy-nine  days  from  February  9. 
The  food  for  one  lot  was  in  pounds  as  follows :  Whole 
wheat  99.5,  oats  100,  wheat  bran  18.5,  wheat  middlings 
18.5,  Chicago  gluten  meal  18.5,  ground  clover  18.5, 
green  cut  bone  10,  total  283.5,  cost  $3.25,  nutritive 
ratio  1  to  4.8.  The  other  lot  received  essentially  the 
same  food,  except  that  in  place  of  the  green  bone  it 
got  9.7  pounds  animal  meal.  The  total  food  was  287 
pounds,  cost  $3.20,  nutritive  ratio  1  to  4.9.  The  lot 
receiving  green  cut  bone  laid  269  eggs  at  a  cost  of  .940 


SPECIAL      FOODS  57 

pound  dry  matter  in  food  per  egg  and  1.2  cents  for 
food  consumed,  while  the  other  lot  laid  145  eggs  at  a 
cost  of  1.796  pounds  dry  matter  and  2.2  cents  for  food 
consumed.  This  included  the  cost  of  labor  for  cutting 
the  bones. 

Quite  similar  results  were  obtained  in  more  recent 
experiments  by  the  New  York  experiment  station. 
Here  it  was  found  that  for  laying  hens  the  rations 
containing  animal  food  proved  superior  to  others  in 
which  all  the  organic  matter  was  derived  from  vegetable 
sources.  The  hens  fed  green  cut  bone  laid  more  eggs 
and  at  a  less  cost  per  egg  for  food  consumed.  Pulleta 
raised  on  food  containing  considerable  bone  began 
laying  much  earlier  than  those  fed  corresponding 
rations  made  up  of  vegetable  food.  This  point  is  of 
the  greatest  importance  to  poultrymen  and  farmers 
who  know  of  the  difficulty  of  getting  late  hatched 
pullets  started  to  laying  before  cold  weather  sets  in. 
Once  get  them  laying,  and  with  good  food,  care  and 
warm  quarters  they  will  lay  well  during  the  late  fall 
and  early  winter,  when  eggs  are  highest,  but  if  they 
cannot  be  started  before  the  holidays  it  is  almost  impos- 
sible to  get  any  profit  out  of  them  before  every  other 
hen  and  pullet  starts  laying  toward  spring  and  the  price 
of  eggs  goes  do^vn  wdth  a  thud. 

For  raising  young  chicks  and  ducks  green  cut  bone 
as  a  food  has  no  equal.  Nothing  wdll  approach  it  in 
putting  on  growth  and  weight,  more  particularly  with 
ducklings  than  with  chicks.  Ducklings  without  an 
abundant  supply  of  animal  protein  in  the  ration, 
together  with  a  liberal  proportion  of  vegetable  matter, 
seem  unable  to  make  any  approximation  to  their 
normally  rapid  and  most  profitable  growth. 

Scrap  bone  is  obtained  at  markets  or  packing 
houses,  and  the  short  soft  bones  with  meat  adhering  to 
them  are  preferred.     These  are  ground  up  in  machines 


58  POULTKY      lEEDIXG     AND      FATTENING 

made  on  purpose,  wliich  are  not  expensive.  The  cut 
bone  may  be  mixed  and  fed  in  the  mash,  but  it  is 
preferable  to  feed  it  alone.  Fowls  and  chicks  are  very 
fond  of  it,  and  it  is  the  best  exerciser  for  them. 
Scatter  it  at  noon  in  the  straw  or  litter  on  the  floor  and 
there  will  be  such  a  scratching  for  it  as  you  have 
seldom  seen.  It  is  a  good  practice  to  feed  it  three  times 
a  week,  although  a  little  may  be  given  daily.  It  should 
be  fed  at  a  regular  hour  on  certain  days,  for  when  the 
hens  get  accustomed  to  it  they  are  uneasy  unless  it  is 
given  them  at  the  expected  time.  The  only  precautions 
necessary  to  observe  are  never  feed  too  much,  nor  any 
which  is  tainted. 

The  West  Virginia  experiment  station  has  com- 
pared the  value  of  bone  and  meat  meal  for  egg  produc- 
tion, with  results  decidedly  in  favor  of  the  green  bone. 

During  a  period  of  four  months,  beginning 
October  35,  seventeen  Plymouth  Eock  hens  fed  the  fresh 
bone  laid  650  eggs  of  an  average  weight  of  11.75 
pounds  per  100,  while  a  similar  number  fed  meat  meal 
in  their  ration  laid  551:  eggs,  weighing  11.91  pounds 
per  100.  The  fowls  fed  fresh  ground  meat  and  bone 
also  increased  more  in  weight  and  were  much  healthier 
during  the  experiment,  four  of  the  others  having  died, 
and  being  replaced  by  others.  As  this  experiment  was 
made  with  only  one  sample  of  meat  meal  the  results 
cannot  be  considered  conclusive. 

Horseflesh — In  Anglo-Saxon  communities  there  is 
a  strong  prejudice  against  horseflesh  as  food.  The 
objection,  however,  can  scarcely  apply  to  the  use  of  it 
as  poultry  food,  since  fowls  consume  far  less  attractive 
food  in  the  course  of  their  foraging  and  without  injury 
to  the  egg  and  meat  product.  Writes  J.  J.  H.  Gregory, 
a  veteran  agriculturist  of  national  reputation : 

"Some  twenty  years  ago,  tlie  horse  of  a  neighbor 
having  met  with  an  accident  had  to  be  killed.     The 


SPECIAL       FOODS  59 

animal  was  perfectly  healthy  and  it  occurred  to  me  that 
his  flesh  would  serve  excellently  for  hen  feed.  I  ac- 
cordingly offered  a  bag  of  meal  for  such  parts  of  the 
carcass  as  I  might  choose  to  take,  provided  the  owner 
would  land  the  flesh  on  my  place.  The  bargain  was 
made,  and  the  body  having  already  been  skinned,  I 
found  no  great  difficulty  by  the  use  of  saw  and  knife 
in  cutting  up  the  largest  part  of  the  remains.  These 
as  soon  as  landed  I  packed  in  snow  (it  was  early 
winter)  in  a  couple  of  large  sugar  boxes  which  I  kept 
out  of  doors  with  covers  to  protect  from  rain.  The 
flesh  lasted  as  the  animal  food  for  eight  hens  about 
through  cold  weather.  I  fed  it  raw,  cutting  it  fine. 
Under  it  the  hens  were  healthy  and  laid  remarkably 
well,  the  eight  averaging  six  eggs  a  day  throughout  the 
winter.  The  meat  was  fed  very  liberally.  But  not 
everyone  indorses  raising  eggs  on  horse  meat. 

"There  was  a  society  of  old  retired  sea  captains 
who  used  to  meet  at  their  rendezvous  over  the  bank 
daily,  to  discuss  the  affairs  of  the  world  and  express 
their  emphatic  opinions  on  the  degenerate  state  of 
matters  and  things  in  these  latter  days.  Honest  old 
sea  dogs  that  they  were,  they  decided  that  Gregory 
ought  to  be  prosecuted  for  selling  eggs  from  hens  fed 
on  horse  meat !  It  is  but  the  other  day  an  intelligent 
man  asked  me  my  opinion  on  the  subject,  stating  that  a 
neighbor  was  about  to  kill  a  horse  too  old  for  service. 
That  an  intelligent  man  should  ask  such  a  question 
showed  how  widespread  is  a  ridiculous  prejudice. 

"What  is  the  difference  between  the  food  of  a 
horse  and  the  food  of  a  cow  or  ox  ?  Then  can  there  be 
any  difference  between  the  flesh  of  either  of  them  from 
a  health  standpoint?  If  it  be  conceded  that  it  is  but  a 
matter  of  shrinking  on  our  part  from  unaccustomed 
food,  let  us  bear  in  mind  that  no  hen  has  thus  far  been 
found  troubled  by  any  such  qualms.     It  is  certainly 


GO  PULLTUY      FEEDi.NG      AND      FATTEXIXG 

true  that  some  horses  die  from  diseases  whose  flesh  we 
would  not  care  to  feed,  but  this  would  make  but  a 
fraction  of  their  number  unsuitable  for  hen  feed,  for  if 
properly  attended  to  the  great  number  that  it  becomes 
necessary  to  kill  because  of  injury  tlirough  accidents, 
and  even  the  many  who  die  from  colic,  if  immediately 
dressed,  as  well  as  the  large  proportion  whose  lives  are 
taken  because  the}^  outgrow  their  usefulness,  all  these 
can  be  more  profitably  utilized  by  sending  them  to  the 
hencoop  rather  than  to  the  manure  pile.  Where  the 
poultry  keeper  lives  near  fertilizer  works  he  has  oppor- 
tunities to  secure  his  hen  meat  as  he  wants  it  and  at 
a  very  low  figure." 

Fish  and  Turtle — When  I  get  fish  I  cook  it  and 
mix  it  with  the  mash,  using  less  of  the  shorts.  From 
January  to  [May  I  can  get  fish  once  and  sometimes 
twice  a  week.  While  pumpkins  last  I  feed  raw  all  the 
fowls  will  eat,  also  cook  and  mix  them  with  the  mash. 
I  also  have  a  pen  in  which  I  put  muck  and  fresh  fish. 
The  hens  pick  out  the  maggots  as  they  come  to  the  top 
and  I  take  the  rest  for  fertilizer.  I  feed  the  young 
chicks,  until  they  are  old  enough  to  leave  the  brooder, 
ground  parched  corn  with  a  little  shorts  and  all  the 
insects  and  worms  I  can  find.  Fresh  water,  in  iron 
dishes,  is  kept  wliere  they  can  get  it  all  the  time,  and 
it  is  changed  several  times  each  day.  I  often  dust 
laying  and  sitting  hens  witli  flowers  of  sulphur  and 
have  no  lice  or  fleas  to  speak  of  at  any  time  of  j'ear. 
I  sometimes  find  a  soft-shelled  turtle,  which  I  cook, 
chop  up  and  mix  thoroughly  with  shorts.  Fish  I  some- 
times feed  raw,  chopping  it  very  fine  and  mixing  with 
shorts.  I  grind  cabbage  in  a  meat  chopper  and  mix 
with  shorts  for  tlie  little  chicks  in  the  brooder. — 
[D.  D.  Doane,  Florida. 

Whey  Cream — One  day,  noticing  chickens  standing 
on  the  edge  of  the  wlicy  tub  and  pecking  at  the  dried 


SPECIAL      FOODS  61 

cream  on  the  sides,  I  skimmed  some  and  placed  in  a 
dish.  They  ate  it  all  eagerly,  although  they  were  well- 
fed  chicks,  and  subsequent  feedings  convinced  me  that 
it  formed  a  valuable  addition  to  their  diet.  On  cooking, 
their  flesh  was  exceedingly  sweet  and  tender,  and  in 
no  way  had  an  oily  taste,  which  many  might  raise  as  a 
possible  objection.  Doubtless  if  fowls  are  kept  in  close 
confinement  and  given  little  else  but  this  waste  cream, 
a  characteristic  oily  flavor  to  their  flesh  might  result. 
As  it  was  waste  matter  that  cost  nothing,  I  considered 
its  utilization  in  this  direction  a  most  profitable  one. 
As  is  generally  known  in  cheese  manufacturing  districts, 
all  of  the  cream  from  whole  milk  cannot  be  worked  into 
full  stock  cheese.  It  is  this  small  per  cent  of  unavoid- 
able waste,  rising  in  the  whey  tub  and  either  going  to 
the  hogs,  or  as  a  rendered  product  being  utilized  as 
cheese  dressing,  that  I  recommend  all  who  can  to  try 
on  growing  chick^s. — [G.  E.  Newell. 

STcimmilk — One  hundred  pounds  of  skimmilk  will 
make  as  many  pounds  of  eggs  or  poultry  as  it  will  of 
pork  or  veal.  With  me  the  hen  is  the  only  variety  of 
fowl  that  will  use  skimmilk.  Geese  and  turkeys  won  t 
touch  it. — [M.  L.  B.,  Vermont. 

Bulhj  Food — Fowls  need  bulky  food.  For  not 
only  are  bulky  foods  needed  for  the  special  forms  of 
nutriment  they  contain,  but  to  distend  the  crop  an-l 
enable  the  fowls  the  better  to  obtain  the  nutriment 
from  more  condensed  foods.  Such  foods  as  finely  cat 
grass,  clover  and  the  like  have  a  value  greater  than 
their  analysis  would  indicate.  Fed  upon  such  foods 
in  connection  with  more  condensed  articles  of  diet, 
fowls  seldom  contract  the  bad  habit  of  feather  pulling. 
This  habit  seems  to  be  due  to  two  causes:  lack  of 
animal  matter  and  lack  of  bulky  food.  Given  these 
two  elements  and  feather  pulling  would  hardly  be 
known,  unless  it  was  introduced  into  the  flock  through 


62  POULTRY      FEEDING      AXD      FATTENING 

some  vicious  individual  Avliicli  first  contracted  it 
through  hick  of  tliese  forms  of  food  Such  foods  will 
frequently  ])ut  a  stop  to  the  habit  after  it  has  been 
contracted. — [  }I.  S.  Babcock,  Providence  County,  Ii.  T. 

Green  Feed — Its  value  in  abundance  for  laying 
hens  is  strikingly  shown  in  an  investigatioij  made  by 
the  West  Virginia  experiment  station.  Forty  White 
Leghorn  hens  and  four  cocks  were  divided  into  two 
similar  flocks  and  placed  in  two  houses,  side  by  side, 
the  middle  of  July.  Botli  flocks  were  allowed  runs 
fifteen  feet  wide  and  100  feet  long,  and  both  had  access 
at  all  times  to  such  grass  and  herbage  as  grew  in  the 
runs.  In  addition  to  this,  one  flock  received  an  abund- 
ance of  green  food.  At  the  end  of  the  year,  the  fowls 
which,  had  the  green  food  had  laid  two  dozen  more  Qggi 
per  hen  than  the  other. 

Clover  Pasture — In  my  locality,  where  we  usually 
have  some  warm  weather  and  but  little  snow  during 
November  and  December,  it  pays  me  to  sow  crimson 
clover  for  pasture  for  the  poultry.  The  land  which  1 
use  for  market  gardening  adjoins  my  poultry  yards, 
and  my  plan  is  to  sow  crimson  clover  as  a  catch  crop 
between  the  rows  of  garden  vegetables,  then  when  the 
vegetables  are  gathered  give  the  fowls  the  range  of  the 
field  during  the  pleasant  weather  of  the  late  fall  and 
early  winter  when  the  other  grasses  do  not  supply  green 
food  for  them.  Crimson  clover  seems  to  be  especially 
adapted  to  this  purpose,  as,  unlike  other  clover,  it 
remains  green  after  the  hard  frosts  of  early  winter. 
If  it  has  been  found  that  the  crimson  clover  does  not 
endure  the  winter  in  your  section,  then  sow  a 
little  rye  with  the  clover,  and  if  the  clover  winter- 
kills, the  rye  will  survive.  With  such  a  pasture  for 
the  hens  now  and  some  clover  rowen  dried  and  put 
away  for  later  use,  you  are  in  the  way  to  make  a  good 
profit  from  the  hens  next  winter. — [W.  H.  Jenkins. 


SPECIAL      FOODS  63 

^Special  Feed  Crops — Young  lettuce  leaves  will  add 
greatly  to  tlie  liealtli  and  growth  of  the  chickens. 
Onions  sliould  also  be  grown  and  kept  for  feeding.  If 
chopped  moderately  fine,  they  will  be  eagerly  consumed 
by  fowls.  Tobacco  should  also  be  grown  and  used  to 
keep  the  stock  free  from  lice.  Pull  the  plants  before 
frost,  and  hang  them  in  the  barn  or  shed  to  dry.  A 
handful  of  tlie  leaves  in  the  nests  of  sitting  hens  will 
add  a  great  deal  to  their  comfort  and  more  to  that  of 
the  young.  Beans,  well  cooked,  either  whole  or  ground, 
will  help  fill  up  the  list  of  foods.  Rape  seed  is  easily 
raised,  and  would  be  useful  for  choice  3^oung  chickens. 
Seeds  of  the  common  millet.  Golden  millet,  sorghum 
and  broom  corn  will  make  a  variety  in  the  list  of  good, 
cheap  foods.  Egyptian  corn,  a  kind  of  sorghum,  is 
valuable  for  3'oung  or  old  fowls.  Barle}^  rye  and  oats 
are  all  acceptable  to  poultry. — [E.  M.  Hess. 

Cahhage — My  experience  with  cabbage  is  that  ahout 
the  very  best  use  one  can  make  of  loose  heads  is  to 
make  them  up  in  sauerkraut;  then  as  soon  as  worked  a 
little,  put  where  it  will  freeze,  so  as  to  keep  them. 
Use  it  once  a  day  as  a  part  ration  of  food.  They 
relish  it  very  much.  In  this  way  one  can  supply  a 
great  amount  of  extra  rations  for  the  poultry  that 
usually  goes  to  waste.  Put  away  in  this  way,  one  has 
a  fresh  supply  in  a  small  compass  until  grass  comes. 
Use  but  little  salt;  for  one  large  barrel  I  use  only  a 
teacupful.  Pound  it  well,  put  heavy  weights  on  and 
it  will  keep  until  warm  weather.  Keep  in  an  out- 
building because  of  the  odor. — [D.  E.  Hale,  Allegheny 
County,  Pa. 

Mangels — The  yield  of  this  beet,  according  to  the 
amount  of  ground  taken  up  by  it  and  the  time  and 
expense  of  cultivating,  is  immense.  It  is  little  trouble 
to  harvest  and  easy  to  keep  in  the  winter,  either  in  pits 
or  in  the  cellar.     If  it  is  desirable  to  feed  raw,  the 


Oi  POULTRY      FEEDIXG      AND      PATTEXIXG 

chickens  will  enjoy  2)ieking  out  the  inside,  if  the  Ijeet  i? 
split  from  crown  to  root.  If  cooked,  it  can  he  cut  or 
chopped  and  mixed  with  the  other  steamed  or  cookeu 
food. — [J.  L.  Irwin,  Nemalia  County,  Kan. 

Onions  will  quickl}''  affect  flavor  of  eggs  or  meat. 
So  will  muskrats.  After  removing  tlie  pelts  of  some 
that  I  caught  one  winter  the  carcasses  were  thrown 
in  a  field  not  far  from  the  barn,  where  the  hens  ranged 
and  fed  on  the  meai.  This  produced  such  a  musky 
flavor  in  the  eggs  that  afterward  care  was  observed  to 
keep  the  dead  rats  out  of  the  hens'  reach.  At  a  later 
period  I  purchased  a  quarter  of  beef  from  a  farmer 
who,  while  fattening  a  number  of  steers,  fed  a  large 
quantity  of  turnips.  These  so  tainted  the  meat  that 
it  was  decidedly  distasteful,  and  when  cooking  there 
was  a  pronounced  smell  of  turnips. — [S.,  Schuylkill 
County,  Pa. 

Rice — While  living  in  California,  I  was  quite 
largely  engaged  for  about  ten  years  in  raising  poultry 
for  market,  both  with  incubators  and  with  hens.  I  had 
trouble  with  young  chicks  on  account  of  more  or  less 
diarrhea,  sometimes  but  little,  and  again  considerable, 
Init  always  some  loss  from  it.  Since  coming  to  the 
islands,  we  have  not  been  in  the  business  extensively, 
but  raise  more  or  less  each  year.  For  three  or  four 
weeks  we  feed  on  broken  rice  and  milk.  We  never 
have  a  case  of  diarrhea  here  or  a  sick  chick,  although 
they  have  to  be  kept  in  close  quarters  on  account  o-f  the 
mongoose,  but  of  course  have  to  be  kept  clean,  but  are 
never  let  outside  of  wire  fence  until  fully  grown.  If 
we  had  known  the  value  of  rice  as  a  feed  for  starting 
young  chicks,  when  in  the  business  in  California,  it 
would  have  been  several  hundred  dollars  in  our  pocket^, 
if  not  thousands. — [I,  S.  Garnett,  Hawaii. 

Nuts — When  one  has  an  oversupply  of  nuts,  esp?- 
cially  black  walnuts  and  butternuts,  they  can  be  used 


SPECIAL      FOODS  t>& 

to  good  advantage  among  the  poultry,  serving  the  pnr* 
pose  of  meat,  the  oil  in  the  nuts  being  of  the  same 
nature.  Crack  them  rather  fine  and  the  fowls  will 
pick  the  shells  clean  in  a  sliort  time. — [Marion  Meado, 
Illinois. 

Odds  and  Ends — ;Nrothing  excels  the  scraps  which 
accumulate  on  the  table,  including,  as  they  generally 
do,  vegetables,  meat,  etc.  A  farmer's  table  yields  in 
the  course  of  a  year  a  large  amount  of  bones,  which, 
when  ground  or  chopped  fine,  produce  food  far  more 
valuable  than  grain  for  egg  production. 

Various  Foods — Old  or  damaged  cheese  is  a  good 
egg  food.  Popped  corn  from  the  factories  is  a  cheap 
food,  being  equal  to  raw  corn,  pound  for  pound.  If 
the  corn  is  sugared,  so  much  the  better  for  fattening. 
Refuse  bread,  cake  and  crackers  make  convenient  food 
for  chicks  and  take  the  place  of  as  many  pounds  of 
grain.  Scorched  grain  at  about  two-thirds  full  price 
will  do  for  a  part  of  the  ration,  if  not  so  badly  burned 
that  part  will  be  left  on  the  ground.  Grain  scre^ings 
are  of  doubtful  value  for  fowls,  but  chicks  will  eat 
most  of  the  seeds. 

Ground  tanl'age  from  tallow  and  fertilizer  fac- 
tories is  the  cheapest  animal  food,  but  if  tainted  or 
diseased,  will  cause  trouble.  The  same  may  be  said 
of  dried  blood.  Eaw  lights  and  offal  from  the 
slaughter  house  often  cause  disease,  but  are  safe  if 
cooked  thoroughly.  If  fed  raw,  care  should  be  taken 
to  examine  before  feeding  for  traces  of  disease. 

Gluten  meal  is  made  from  the  chit  or  nitrogenous 
part  of  the  corn  grain  and  is  the  refuse  from  the 
manufacture  of  cornstarch.  It  contains  nearly  thirty 
per  cent  nitrogenous  matter,  whereas  the  pure  corn 
meal  contains  only  about  nine  per  cent.  Cottonseed 
meal  and  linseed  meal  of  course  are  entirely  different 
articles,  but  they  are  both  very  rich,  cottonseed  meal 


GO  POULTRY      FKKDIXG      AXD      FATTEXIXG 

containing  about  foitv  per  cent  of  nitrogenous  matter, 
and  linseed  meal  fully  thirty  per  cent.  The  new 
process  linseed  meal  can  he  used  without  l)ad  effects  to 
increase  egg  production  if  judiciousl}-  fed,  hut  the  old 
process  linseed  meal,  containing  ten  per  cent  of  fat  or 
oil,  is  too  fattening  for  layers.  This  is  one  objection 
to  cottonseed  meal,  which  has  twelve  to  thirteen  per  cent 
of  fat,  whereas  the  gluten  meal  has  only  about  five  per 
cent  of  oil.  Proper  care  in  feeding  either  of  these 
concentrated  meals  will  enable  you  to  use  them  in  the 
poultr}'  yard.  Begin  feeding  them  very  lightly,  and 
increase  as  experience  shows  you  can  safely  do.  Xever 
feed  such  rich  food  exclusively — giA^e  it  in  connectior^ 
with  a  variety  of  other  stuff. 

Garbage  from  village  or  city  swill  will  do  to  feed 
once  a  day  to  hens,  if  it  is  well  cooked  and  mixed  with 
ground  feed  of  some  kind.  As  long  as  hens  thrive  on 
this  feed  and  remain  in  good  health  there  is  no 
objection  to  feeding  it. 

Sour  food  induces  ])owel  trouble.  Don't  leave  any 
about.  Feed  only  what  will  be  eaten  within  twenty 
minutes. 

Cider  pomace  will  be  eaten  quite  freely  by  fowls 
in  winter  and  serves  the  same  purpose  as  roots  or  green 
food,  at  less  cost.  Preserve  the  pomace  in  hogsheads 
or  tight  barrels  and  press  down  the  contents  with 
jackscrews  or  barrel  headers. 


CHAPTER  VI 
TO  FINISH  AND  DRESS  CAPONS 

THE  price  of  dressed  capons  in  season  is  nearly 
equal  to  that  of  broilers,  while  the  cost  per 
pound  to  produce  is  far  less.  On  many  farms, 
a  number  of  young  cockerels  are  kept  through 
the  winter,  growing  but  slowly  and  consuming  their  full 
value  in  grain  by  February.  If  these  had  been  capon- 
ized  the  only  added  cost  would  have  been  a  few  minutes' 
time  and  the  loss  of  perhaps  one  bird  in  forty  as  the 
result  of  accidents  in  operating,  while  the  capon  would 
\veigh  at  maturity  nearly  twice  as  much  as  the  cockerel 
and  bring  five  to  ten  cents  more  per  pound  because  of 
his  more  soft  and  rich  flavored  meat. 

The  idea  applies  especially  well  to  late  hatched 
and  autumn  chickens  which  are  too  small  to  sell  during 
the  holiday  season.  The  pullets  will  make  prime 
summer  layers,  and  the  cockerels  caponized  will  come 
into  market  at  the  time  when  capon  quotations  are  at 
their  best,  in  late  spring  and  early  summer.  If  the 
house  is  warm  and  the  winter  not  too  severe  they  will 
grow  fairly  well  all  winter  and  will  increase  in  weight 
rapidly  as  soon  as  milder  weather  begins.  No  surj^lus 
males  should  be  kept  over  winter  uncaponized. 

Finishing  Capons — The  plan  described  below  is 
that  used  at  the  Ontario  experimental  farm,  as  related 
hj  \\\  E.  Graham.  The  illustration.  Figure  8,  shoAVs 
a  capon  ready  for  market.  "The  rations  tend  to  pro^ 
duce  a  light,  cream-colored  flesh,  which  is  in  demand 
in  the  English  markets  and  the  high  class  Canadian 
trade.  Where  j^ellow  flesh  is  in  demand  the  addition 
of  a  small  pro23ortion  of  yellow  carrots,  say  one-sixth 
of  the  ration,  would  tend  to  deepen  the  color.  Cotton- 
seed meal  has  the  same  tendency. 


Fisr.  8 — CAPOX    duessed   you   maiiket 


TO      FINISH      AND      DRESS      CAPONS  69 

'^Chickens  and  capons  can  be  fattened  to  best 
advantage  by  confining  tliem  in  small  coops  for  three 
or  four  weeks  previous  to  killing.  The  ordinary  coops 
used  for  fattening  purposes  are  made  six  and  one-half 
feet  long  by  sixteen  inches  square,  inside  measurement. 
Each  crate  is  divided  into  three  compartments  and  each 
compartment  usually  holds  four  chickens.  The  crates 
are  made  of  slats  about  one  and  one-half  inches  wide 
and  one-half  inch  thick.  The  slats  run  lengthwise  of 
the  coop  on  the  top,  bottom  and  back,  the  front  being 
upright,  with  a  small  door  arranged  in  each  compart- 
ment. This  coop  we  have  found  easily  cleaned  and 
convenient.  Small  V-shaped  troughs  are  arranged  in 
front,  from  which  the  fowls  are  fed  and  watered.  All 
our  experiments  tend  to  show  that  this  is  the  best  way 
to  fatten  fowls.  They  do  better  than  when  at  large, 
or  when  confined  to  small  pens. 

"The  feed  should  be  of  ground  grain  dampened 
with  skimmilk  or  meat  broth.  Of  eight  different 
rations  tried  here  for  fattening  purposes,  we  have  found 
the  following  two  the  best:  {a)  Two  parts  ground 
corn,  two  parts  ground  buckwheat  and  one  part  fine 
ground  oats,  all  by  weight;  (&)  two  pounds  ground 
corn,  two  parts  ground  oats  and  two  parts  cooked  pota- 
toes, all  by  weight.  Ration  a  is  relished  by  the  birds 
and  has  made  more  rapid  gains  than  I,  but  &  ration 
is  less  expensive  and  has  produced  gain  at  a  less  cost 
per  pound,  while  a  has  produced  the  most  gain.  In 
districts  where  buckwheat  can  be  purchased  for  about 
thirty-five  to  forty  cents  per  bushel,  a  would  be  a  very 
advantageous  ration  to  use. 

"Our  method  is  to  feed  these  rations  from  the 
small  V-shaped  trough  for  two  weeks,  after  which  the 
birds  are  forced  by  the  use  of  the  cramming  machine. 
The  machine-feeding  lasts  for  about  ten  days.  Nice, 
plump,    fat    chickens    can    be    produced    without    the 


70  POULTRY      rKEDI.NG      ASD     FATTENING 

crammer  if  fed  for  about  a  week  longer,  but  in  our 
trials  the}^  lack  the  uniformit}^  and  evenness  of  con- 
dition which  is  characteristic  of  most  crammed 
chickens/^ 

Ho7u  to  Dress  Capons — First  be  sure  and  not  kill 
them  imtil  crops  are  empty,  and  that  they  are  fat.  A 
thin  capon  is  not  as  good  as  an  ordinary  chicken, 
because  if  not  large  or  a  proper  capon  they  are  not 
wanted  as  capons  or  chickens  either.  Leave  feathers 
on  neck  from  head  down  two-thirds  wav  to  the  shoul- 
ders. Leave  feathers  on  two  first  joints  of  wings. 
Leave  feathers  on  tail  and  lialf  way  up  the  back. 
Leave  feathers  on  legs  from  knee  joint  two-thirds  up 
the  hips.  All  the  rest  of  the  feathers  come  off. 
Feathers  that  are  removed  should  be  saved  and  will 
sell  if  kept  dry  and  clean.  Be  careful  and  keep  the 
capon  clean.  Wrap  paper  around  head.  Appearances 
add  to  the  sale  and  of  course  price. 

DRESSING     AND     SELLING     CAPONS 
By   F,   H.   Valentine,    New   Jersey 

The  demand,  consequently  the  market  for  capons, 
is  a  peculiar  one.  While  there  is  a  very  limited  demand 
during  the  entire  year,  the  bulk  of  them  are  sold 
between  the  holidays  and  spring.  The  turkey  holds  the 
place  of  honor  at  Thanlvsgiving,  divides  it  with  ducks 
and  geese  at  Christmas  and  New  Year's,  and  when  these 
are  past,  there  is  more  inquiry  for  capons,  which  con- 
tinues till  April  or  May.  So  little  call  is  there  for 
them  outside  of  this  season,  tliat  many,  if  not  all 
dealers,  cease  quoting  prices  at  other  times. 

The  profit  in  capons  is  a  mooted  question.  It  will 
not  pay  to  perform  the  operation  on  any  but  tlie  larger 
breeds,  and  there  are  many  individuals  and  many 
localities  where  it  will  not  pay  at  all.  While  good 
capons  usually  sell  for  somewhat  higher   prices  than 


TO    rixisii    A^^J    dkess     capons  71 

roasting  cliickens,  the  difference  in  price  between  the 
two  is  less  than  formerl3^  In  Boston,  it  is  said  that 
the  larger  part  of  the  capons  are  dressed  clean,  and 
sold  as  "south  shore  roasters."  A  capon  must  be  fed 
for  so  long  a  time  before  marketing  that  the  feed  bill 
eats  up  a  large  part  of  the  extra  price. 

Many  poultrymen  say  that  there  is  more  profit  in 
keeping  pullets  for  eggs  in  the  space  that  would  be 
occupied  by  capons.  But  locality  and  circumstance 
must  decide  this  point.  A  poor  capon  will  bring  no 
more  than  a  chicken.  The  small  sizes  of  capons,  about 
five  or  six  pounds,  sell  quite  readily,  but  at  lower  prices. 
The  large  ones,  weighing  nine,  ten  and  twelve  pounds, 
or  even  more,  bring  higher  prices  per  pound.  They 
take  the  place  of  turkeys  to  a  considerable  extent. 

The  methods  of  dressing  vary  somewhat  for 
different  markets,  and  it  is  wise  for  the  grower  to  learn 
from  the  dealer  or  commission  merchant  in  the  market 
to  which  he  purposes  shipping  as  to  any  special  demands. 
They  are  usually,  and  always  for  best  markets,  dry 
picked.  It  is  customary  with  most  growers  to  leave 
on  the  feathers  of  the  neck,  tail  and  wings;  some  leave 
on  more  than  others,  but  the  carcass  must  show  up  its 
l)lump  proportions  and  rich  yellow  color.  For  they 
must  be  well  fattened.  Sometimes  I  have  seen  capons 
in  market,  which  were  well  gro^vn  and  fattened,  but 
which  had  been  scalded,  badly  dressed,  feathers  all  off, 
and  which  sold  for  no  more  than  the  same  grade  of 
chickens.  A  little  extra  care  in  dressing  and  packing 
would  have  paid  handsomely.  Dry  picking  is  some- 
thing tliat  it  seems  impossible  to  teach  except  by  actual 
practice.  In  short,  it  is  a  sort  of  knack  with  some 
people. 

Having  them  well  dressed  and  thoroughly  cooled, 
packing  for  shipment  is  important.  Attractive  appear- 
ance must  be  secured.     Much  of  the  poultry  sent  to 


72  POULTKY       TEEDIXG       ASD      TATTEXING 

market  is  packed  in  barrels,  but  neat  boxes  are  much 
better.  A  box  that  holds  a  dozen  large  capons  is  a 
very  good  size.  The}^  should  be  packed  breasts  up, 
head:?  tucked  under  out  of  sight,  in  nice,  even  rows,  go 
that  when  the  cover  is  remaved,  they  may  present  an 
attractive  appearance.  This  goes  a  long  way  toward 
making  a  sale,  and  at  good  prices,  too.  The  cover 
should  be  marked  with  the  name  of  the  contents,  the 
name  of  the  consignor  and  consignee,  and  the  gross 
and  net  weight,  though  for  obvious  reasons,  most  con- 
signees weigh  all  poultry  received,  unless  it  may  be 
from  some  well-known  shipper  in  whom  they  have 
learned  from  experience  to  place  the  utmost  confidence. 
I  have  said  nothing  about  the  manner  of  killing, 
but  guppose  every  2)oultryman  knows  that  the  only  way 
for  the  present-day  markets  is  by  sticking  in  the  mouth. 
Fowls  must  be  well  bled,  as  this  improves  the  appear- 
ance of  the  flesh.  Crops  must  be  completely  empty 
when  the  birds  are  killed.  Nearly  all  markets  require 
birds  to  have  heads  and  feet  on,  and  to  be  undrawn. 
Formerly,  Boston  required  them  drawn,  but  that 
ordinance  is  no  longer  in  force.  During  the  capon 
season,  the  weather  is  usually  such  that  no  ice  is 
required  to  keep  in  good  condition,  but  if  shipments 
be  made  during  warm  weather,  icing  will  be  necessary. 
Large,  plump,  well-fattened,  neatly-dressed,  attract- 
ively-packed birds  fill  choicest  market  requirements, 
and  bring  satisfactory  prices. 


CHAPTER  VII 

THE  ART  OF  POULTRY  FATTENING 

BY  H.   E.    MOSS,   NEW   YORK 

THE  commercial  or  utility  side  of  the  poultry 
industry,  while  it  has  alwaj^s  been  the  moving 
power  thr-t  drives  the  wheels  of  fancy,  has  now 
reached  a  stage  in  this  country  that  will  mark 
an  epoch  in  its  evolution.  A  new  era  has  dawned. 
Xew  forces  are  at  work  and  they  are  powerful  and 
capable  of  creating  a  revolution  in  methods.  And  this 
force  once  applied  cannot  do  otherwise  than  succeed. 
This  power  is  the  great  packing  houses  of  the  west:  the 
Swifts,  Armours  and  others  whose  facilities  for  buying, 
slaughtering  and  selling  meat  food  products  to  the 
world  are  of  such  magnitude  and  their  system  so  perfect 
that  not  a  city,  town  or  village  in  this,  and  but  few  in 
foreign  countries,  in  which  their  products  are  not  sold 
or  their  influence  felt.  To  these  great  estahlishments 
and  not  to  the  producers  themselves  are  we  indebted  for 
the  new  conditions. 

More  than  seven  years  ago  one  of  them  stated  to 
the  writer  that  nothing  would  please  them  more  than 
to  be  able  to  enter  foreign  markets,  not  with  better,  but 
only  as  good  poultry  as  those  markets  afforded.  The 
reason  it  could  not  be  done  was  because  the  American 
people  have  always  set  up  as  their  standard  of  per- 
fection a  fat  carcass,  yellow  and  plump,  without  regard 
to  what  that  plumpness  consisted  of,  the  only 
material  known  to  them  to  produce  it  being  corn,  and 
the  result  from  feeding  it  being  grease  or  fat  deposited 
in  layers  under  the  skin  and  a  pound  or  more  in 
the  abdominal  cavity;  the  flesh  being  inferior,  often 
stringy  and  tough,  and  tliat  poultry  in  this  condition 


f±  i'ULLlKi'       TLEDINU       ASD      rATTEXlXG 

would  be  almost  unsalable  in  European  markets.  The 
American  people  with  their  reckless  extravagance  are 
willing  to  pay  high  prices  for  such  poultry  because  it  h 
the  plumpest  and  best  looking  the  markets  afford,  and 
when  the  meat  is  separated  from  the  grease  in  trussing 
and  cooking  we  are  left  but  little  edible  portion,  and 
that  not  of  the  best  quality,  deluding  ourselves  with  the 
belief  that  we  are  eating  a  delicious  morsel  simply 
because  we  paid  a  high  price  for  it. 

^N'o  such  extravagance  is  tolerated  in  any  other 
country;  poultry  to  many  there  is  a  luxury  rarely 
afforded.  Under  such  conditions  we  can  readily  under- 
stand why  a  fowl  must  be  finished  for  market  with  the 
largest  possible  percentage  attainable  of  edible  portion 
as  compared  to  bones  and  offal ;  furthermore,  the  texture 
of  the  skin,  shape,  appearance  and  firmness  of  flesh  to 
the  touch,  and  entire  absence  of  layers  of  fat  in  the 
dressed  bird,  and  the  white,  juicy,  finely  flavored 
qualities  when  cooked  are  the  points  of  excellence.  In 
order  to  attain  this  a  system  of  feeding  far  specific 
results  became  necessary.  Instead  of  turning  the  birds 
loose  to  range  at  will  and  shoveling  out  corn  to  them, 
they  confine  them,  limiting  tlie  exercise  to  small  coops, 
and  feed  them  on  material  that  produces  these  results. 
The  method  of  feeding  varies  in  manner  and  material 
in  different  countries. 

The  most  successful  and  profitable  poultry  finishing 
locality  perhaps  in  tlie  world  is  Le  Mans  in  'Not- 
manc]3\  It  is  not  uncommon  for  choice  specimens  to 
sell  for  twenty  and  twenty-five  francs  (four  to  five 
dollars)  in  the  Paris  markets  and  not  over  six  pounds 
in  weight.  Such  prices,  however,  are  not  obtainable 
outside  of  France,  where  their  system  of  cooking  and 
serving  is  so  different  from  ours,  making  it  possible  for 
one  fowl  to  serve  tliree  times  as  many  jiersons  as  in  any 
other  countrv. 


THE  ART  0¥      POULTRY   IWITENING       iO 

The  next  most  profitable  district  is  the  counties 
of  Surrey,  Sussex  and  Kent,  England,  where  whole 
families  are  engaged  in  it,  as  were  their  ancestors  for 
generations  back.  They  know  nothing  else,  they  never 
have  done  and  their  children  never  will  do  anything 
else  but  fatten  poultry  for  the  London  market.  The 
method  employed  is  both  trough  feeding  and  the 
cramming  machine,  some  using  one,  some  the  other, 
and  many  a  combination  of  the  two.  The  trough  alone 
is  not  so  profitable  but  enables  more  fowls  to  be  kept  in 
process.  Ten  days  of  trough  and  ten  machine  feeding 
is  more  profitable,  but  the  best  results  are  obtained  by 
machine  feeding  from  start  to  finish,  care  being  taken 
to  not  overfeed  during  the  first  week,  gradually  getting 
them  up  to  full  feed.  These  results  are  secured 
through  the  ability  of  the  bird  to  digest  and  assimilate 
two  or  three  times  as  much  feed  as  it  would  consume 
from  a  trough  if  left  to  its  own  inclination.  The  food 
is  made  semi-liquid  and  no  water  or  grit  is  given  in 
addition  to  it,  but  it  must  be  ground  to  a  meal  and  be 
composed  of  just  such  material  as  will  produce  these 
results  without  sickening  or  injuring  the  bird.  By  this 
method  they  are  able  to  add  three  or  more  pounds  of 
meat  to  a  four-pound  bird  in  twenty-one  days  at  what 
would  be  in  this  country  a  cost  in  feed  of  about  eight 
cents  per  bird  for  the  twenty-one  days,  and  in  turn  make 
a  profit  not  only  on  the  weight  gained  but  an  increase 
per  pound  for  quality  and  finish ;  the  perfectly  finished 
bird  having  what  fat  it  carries  deposited  in  globules 
throughout  the  tissue,  rendering  it  of  that  superior 
quality  demanded. 

If  these  "fatters,"  as  they  are  called,  are  able  to 
buy  the  ten  to  twelve-weeks-old  Irish  birds  sent  over 
for  this  purpose  at  seventy-five  cents  each,  pay  the 
enormous  prices  they  are  compelled  to  for  feed  and  sell 
their  products  at  a  profit,  what  is  to  prevent  Americans 


76  POULTRY       FEEDING      AND       FATTENING 

not  only  sending  such  birds  to  the  English  markets, 
but  from  supplying  their  own  with  this  most  desirable 
meat  ?  Mr.  Charles  W.  Armour,  the  head  of  the  Armour 
packing  company,  in  an  interview  on  this  subject  pub- 
lished in  the  Kansas  City  Star  of  December  1,  1901, 
stated  that  "the  American  people  will  pay  more  for 
good  food  than  any  other  people  in  the  world,"  This 
is  a  significant  statement  from  a  man  engaged  in 
supplying  the  world  with  meat  food.  All  that  the 
American  people  need  is  a  taste  of  this  kind  of  poultry 
and  the  demand  will  exceed  the  supply. 

AVhen  this  demand  sets  in  there  will  be  a  wide 
divergence  in  price  between  the  thin  and  the  finished 
stock.  The  best  will  go  higher,  the  poor  lower.  While 
the  thin  chicken  will  always  find  a  sale  at  some  price 
to  the  fatters,  the  greasy  ones  will  go  begging  for 
buyers. 

Canada  has  for  several  years  been  developing 
rapidly  along  this  line.  England  naturally  looks  to  her 
colonies  first  for  what  she  needs  and  they  are  prompt 
to  act  on  any  suggestions  from  the  mother  country, 
and  foster  such  industries  as  are  susceptible  of  develop- 
ment on  their  soil.  At  Ottawa,  Ont.,  Truro,  N.  S., 
and  Bondville,  Que.,  the  fattening  of  poultry  for 
the  London  market  is  carried  on-  extensively  under 
government  supervision,  and  they  have  standing  orders 
for  greater  quantities  than  they  can  possibly  supply. 

The  climate  of  England  is  somewhat  unsuited  to 
poultry  culture,  being  exceedingly  damp  and  wet. 
Large  poultry  farms  such  as  exist  in  this  country  are 
unknown  there.  While  I  believe  it  possible  for  those 
schooled  in  our  methods  of  artificial  incubation,  brooding 
and  rearing  to  adapt  these  methods  to  English  climate 
and  conditions,  it  remains  to  be  done.  There  is  no 
limit  to  the  quantity  this  country  can  produce.  We  can 
supply  every  demand  the  foreign  and  home  markets 


THE  ART   OF   POULTRY   FATTENING       77 

Impose  upon  us.  If  we  can  produce  a  good  article  the 
world  wants  it,  but  it  will  not  do  for  us  to  try  to  force 
them  to  accept  our  false  standard  of  excellence  as  theirs, 
at  the  same  time  knowing  in  our  hearts  that  ours  is  not 
the  proper,  but  simply  a  convenient  one.  We  supply 
the  world  with  the  best  beef;  we  finish  our  cattle  up 
to  the  highest  degree  of  perfection,  and  the  quality 
governs  the  price.  If  we  had  refused  to  do  so  and  tried 
to  sell  Europe  our  grass-fed  steers  and  insisted  that 
such  were  the  best  we  could  produce,  they  would  have 
none  of  it,  and  our  home  market  would  be  our  only 
outlet. 

The  reader  may  form  some  idea  as  to  the  qualit}'" 
and  appearance  of  the  best  dressed  poultry  produced 
in  England  by  the  following.  At  the  Smithfield 
(London)  table  poultry  show  held  in  December,  1901, 
the  first  prize  winners  shown  and  weighed  in  couples 
were: 

Buff  Orpington  pullets,  21  pounds  4  ounces; 
Dorking  cockerels,  20  pounds  8  ounces ;  farmyard  cock- 
erels, 23  pounds  13  ounces;  farmyard  pullets,  17 
pounds  10  ounces;  Pekin  ducks,  15  pounds  3  ounces; 
turkey  cocks,  59  pounds  3  ounces;  turkey  hens,  49 
pounds  10  ounces. 

There  is  nothing  in  the  above  that  we  cannot 
duplicate  and  even  excel  in  weight  and  quality.  We 
have  only  to  adapt  the  necessary  methods.  The  cram- 
ming machine  produces  the  maximum  results,  but 
trough  feeding  will  add  from  two  and  one-half  to  three 
pounds  of  flesh  to  a  four-pound  bird  in  twenty-one  days 
by  the  use  of  proper  feed,  which  of  course  is  the 
foundation.  A  live  three-pound  pullet  as  it  comes  from 
the  farm  carries  about  six  ounces  of  bone,  twenty-one 
ounces  of  offal,  and  after  cooking  about  eighteen  ounces 
of  edible  meat.  Here  the  percentage  of  waste  to  edible 
portion  is  excessive.     The  bird  is  now  in  its  best  con- 


78  POULTRY       FEEDING       AND       TATTEXIXG 

dition  to  take  on  flesh,  but  tlie  farmer,  imniiiidful  of 
tliis  opportunity  to  convert  feed  into  meat,  ruslies  her 
off  to  market.  Tlie  middleman  steps  in  here  and  with 
but  few  dollars  invested  in  capital,  no  risks  incident 
to  the  production  and  maturing  of  the  bird,  takes 
advantage  of  the  situation  and  the  grower's  indifference 
or  ignorance,  and  in  three  weeks  makes  more  than 
double  the  profit  on  a  bird  than  the  man  did  who 
raised  it.     He  skims  the  cream. 

The  following  market  quotations  clipped  from  the 
Kansas  City  Star  for  December  6,  1901,  perhaps  tell 
the  story  more  forcibly  than  we  can;  for  after  all  the 
hard  cash  is  the  best  argument : 

"Poultry — Exchange  quotations,  hens,  alive  5  l-2c; 
roosters,  young,  20c;  old,  15c  each;  springs,  6  l-2c; 
ducks,  6c;  geese,  4c;  turkej^s,  hens,  5c  young;  weighing 
over  7  lbs.,  6c;  young  gobblers,  5c;  culls,  5c;  pigeons, 
50c  dozen;  squabs,  per  dozen,  $1.25  and  $2;  dressed 
poultry,  choice  scalded  stock  in  good  condition  brings 
Ic  above  live  poultry  prices." 

From  an  adjoining  column  on  the  same  page  y\'Q 
clip  the  following : 

"Specially  fattened  chickens;  a  toothsome  meat 
particularly  adapted  to  this  season  of  the  year.  The 
newest  offerings  in  poultry  to  be  found  on  the  market 
are  especially  fattened  chickens  which  a  local  packing 
house  is  offering  its  patrons.  Besides  being  unusually 
tender  all  the  meat  is  as  white  as  the  breast.  While 
these  chickens  have  been  fattened  primarily  for  the 
English  trade,  their  popularity  is  likely  to  become  as 
widespread  at  home  as  abroad.  Like  all  choice  morsels 
they  sell  at  high  prices.  A  pound  costs  eighteen  cents, 
in  the  shops,  and  buyers  are  offered  their  preference 
of  either  dry-picked  or  scalded  stock." 

What  reason  or  excuse  can  be  advanced  that  will 
justify  the  producer  in  selling  his  pullets  (springs)  at 


THE     ART      OF      POULTRY      FATTE^^ING  79 

six   and  one-half   cents,   less   express   and  commission 
charges,  when  if  properly  finished  they  will  fetch  him 
at  least  double  per  pound.     Not  theoretically   or  on 
paper,  but  in  fact  as  it  exists  to-day.     He  would  never 
dream  of  selling  an  unfattened  steer  or  hog  for  slaughter 
because  the  opportunity  is  his  to  convert  grain  into 
meat  at  a  profit.     He  takes  advantage  of  this  slower 
and  more  expensive  method  but  ignores  the  quicker  and 
more  profitable  one.     His  eyes  are  being  opened,  how- 
ever, and  the  true  situation  is  becoming  apparent.     The 
revolution  is  at  hand,  and  when  the  American  people 
undertake  it  aright  they  will  show  the  foreigner  a  clean 
pair  of  heels  in  this  as  we  have  in  many  other  lines. 
The  business  has  already  assumed  large  proportions  in 
the   west.     The   Armours   at   Kansas    City   alone   are 
killing  10,000  fowls  a  day  and  they  are  but  one  among 
those  now  engaged  in  it.     They  predict  that  in  two 
years  they  will  be  killing  twenty  times  this  number 
daily.     If  the  home  markets  will  not  consume  them  the 
foreign  will.     There  could  not  possibly  be  a  greater 
stimulant  to  the  poultry  industry  than  these  big  estab- 
lishments have  injected  into  it,  and  the  time  is  close 
at  hand  when  cramming  machines  may  be  as  common 
as   churns.     We   already   make   a  better   and   cheaper 
machine  than  the  English.     In  the  meantime  let  the 
cry  go  forth :  "Better  poultry  and  more  of  it." 

The  chief  requirements  for  profitable  and  successful 
fattening  are  simple  and  easily  obtainable.  First  is 
proper  feed,  of  which  ground  oats  is  always  the  basis. 
I  know  of  no  better  mixture  than  100  pounds  ground 
oats  (with  hulls  sifted  out),  ten  pounds  corn  meal,  five 
pounds  clover  meal,  five  pounds  blood  meal  and  one 
pound  salt.  A  suitable  shed  or  building  is  required 
that  can  be  well  ventilated  and  darkened,  and  if  it  can 
1)0  kept  at  a  temperature  of  about  sixty  degrees,  the 
greatest  economy  in  feed  and  most  rapid  gain  in  flesh 


80  POULTRY      FEEDING      AND      FATTENING 

will  result.  For  best  results,  a  cramming  machine  is 
indispensable  during  the  last  ten  days,  as  the  birds 
will  not  eat  half  as  much  as  tliey  are  capable  of 
digesting  and  assimilating  at  this  time.  "With  the 
machine  we  insist  upon  and  control  the  question  of 
gain,  instead  of  leaving  it  to  their  uncertain  and  well- 
satisfied  appetites. 

The  above  formula  is  the  best  I  know  of  for  pro- 
ducing the  finest  quality  of  meat  and  a  white  finish. 
If  a  yellow  finish  is  desired,  the  corn  meal  can  be 
increased  and  the  ground  oats  decreased  up  to  equal 
parts,  but  the  birds  do  not  stand  up  nearly  so  well  under 
it.  They  also  become  irritable  and  indulge  in  feather 
pulling  and  quarreling.  When  fed  in  troughs  the  above 
materials,  after  having  been  thoroughly  mixed  dry,  a 
suitable  quantity  is  stirred  into  sour  skimmilk  or 
buttermilk,  and  made  just  stiff  enough  to  not  run. 
For  machine  feeding  it  is  mixed  to  the  consistency  of 
cream.  In  the  latter  case  the  fowls  need  no  water,  as 
there  is  sufficient  liquid  in  the  mixture,  but  in  trough 
feeding  give  them  coarse  sand  for  grit  three  times  a 
week  and  water  to  drink  twice  daily. 

Neither  water  nor  sweet  skimmilk  will  take  the 
place  of  sour  milk  or  buttermilk  in  the  feed.  It  would 
cause  bowel  disorder  unless  an  abundance  of  green  food 
were  fed  with  the  sweet  milk,  which  would  make  it 
safer,  but  this  would  be  troublesome  and  unsatisfactory. 
Water  will  not  answer  at  all. 

THE    STOCK    TO    USE 

The  most  desirable  l)irds  for  fattening  are  Ply- 
mouth Eocks,  Wyandottes  or  Orpingtons.  A  cross  of 
Light  Bral:ima  with  Eocks  or  Wyandottes  also  makes  a 
very  desirable  bird  and  finishes  very  nicely,  taking  on 
flesh  rapidly  and  making  a  fine  appearance  on  the 
stalls.     The  common  mixed  stock  as  it  comes  from  the 


THE  AKT   OF   POULTRY  FATTEXING       81 

farms  docs  very  wcl],  especially  when  the  American 
breeds  predominate.  The}^  should  be  cooped  when 
between  three  and  four  months  old  with  the  framework 
neariy  grown. 

The  cockerels  should  be  taken  before  they  crow. 
It  is  a  slow  and  uncertain  task  to  undertake  to  fatten 
matured  males  profitably,  and  with  matured  females 
there  will  be  some  of  them  that  will  begin  laying 
instead,  of  taking  on  flesh,  especially  if  in  good  flesh 
when  put  in.  There  is  nothing  difficult  or  uncertain 
in  the  business.  It  is  simply  one  of  turning  feed  into 
meat.  It  requires  good  judgment  and  a  knowledge  of 
the  requirements  and  habits  of  the  bird  or  animal  we 
undertake  to  fatten,  and  a  little  experience  teaches  us 
how  to  get  the  greatest  gain  in  the  shortest  time.  The 
markets  are  ready  for  the  product  as  soon  as  finished, 
and  prices  are  always  such  as  justify  the  attempt  to 
produce  meat  of  this  quality. 

ARTIFICrAL     POULTRY    FATTENIN'G 
By  W.   H.   Allen,   Jr.,   Massachusetts 

The  market  requirements  in  regard,  to  dressed 
poultry  are  more  exacting  to-day  than  ever  before. 
This  is  not  only  true  with  poultry,  but  ther  same  con- 
ditions exist  with  cattle,  sheep  and  hogs.  A  well-fleshed 
product  not  only  weighs  more,  but  brings  more  per 
pound,  and  in  the  case  of  poultry,  the  difference  some- 
times amounts  to  ten  cents  per  pound.  It  is  possible 
in  a  lot  of  chickens  to  have  some  that  are  in  very  good 
flesh,  but  how  to  have  them  all  well  fleshed  and  able 
to  command  the  top  price,  is  something  that  has  been 
sought  for  a  long  time. 

Increased  Use  of  Macliines — That  fattening  by 
cramming  fulfills  this  purpose  must  be  readily  acknowl- 
edged by  the  large  number  of  cramming  machines  in 
use  to-day.     There  is  a  party  in  Ohio  who  uses  twelve 


82  rOULTKY       rJ-EDIXG      AXD       PATTEXIXG 

crammin<x  machines,  fatteninn^  some  20,000  fowls  every 
month.  In  tliis  connection,  I  nii^i'lit  state  that  prc- 
viousl}^  tliis  party  ran  tliirty  incuhators,  raising  tliou- 
sands  of  cliickens  yearly,  besides  producing  thousands 
of  dozens  of  eggs  for  the  market  yearly.  But  he  has 
found  so  much  money  in  fattening  by  cramming  that 
lie  has  given  up  raising  poultry  and  eggs  for  the  market, 
and  his  thirty  incubators  are  idle  and  for  sale.  There 
is  a  party  also  in  Iowa  using  twenty-two  cramming 
machines — a  party  in  Illinois  who  fattens  on  a  very 
large  scale,  fattening  thousands  yearly,  a  party  who 
supplies  the  White  Star  line  with  poultry  fattened  by 
cramming,  and  they  take  all  he  can  supply.  The 
Armour  packing  company  of  Davenport,  la.,  has  a 
contract  for  500,000  ha.nd-crammed  poultry. 

The  greatest  industry  of  Clarinda,  la.,  is  fattening 
chickens  for  the  London  market.  At  the  central  station 
here  butter,  eggs  and  poultry  are  received  from  a 
radius  of  seven tj^-five  miles  and  to  the  value  of 
$2,000,000  annually.  This  company  is  the  oldest  in 
Iowa,  and  has  other  stations  at  Keokuk,  Burlington  and 
elsewhere,  handling  between  $5,000,000  and  $6,000,000 
worth  of  dairy  and  poultry  products  each  year.  The 
feeding  house  at  Clarinda  accommodates  about  7500 
chickens  which  are  fattened  by  cramming  appliances. 

Advantage  of  Special  Methods — By  this  means  the 
weight  of  the  chicken  is  increased  from  thirty-five  to 
fifty  per  cent.  The  flavor  of  the  meat  is  much  improved 
and  the  selling  value  greatly  advanced.  The  process  of 
fattening  is  not  secret,  as  has  been  represented.  The 
Clarinda  poultry  company  is  anxious  to  teach  the 
farmers  how  to  do  it  in  order  that  they  may  improve 
the  value  of  their  chickens  by  proper  food  and  care. 
They  do  the  same  thing  with  steers  and  hogs,  and  there 
is  no  reason  why  they  sliould  not  fatten  their  cliickens. 
The   feeding   machine   will   eventually   be    a   common 


THE  AKT   OE   POULTRY  FATTENING       83 

adjunct  with  poultry  raisers,  because  the  one  who  does 
use  it  will  ])roduce  so  much  better  birds  than  the  one 
who  doesn't  use  it  that  the  one  who  does  not  employ  the 
machine  will  see  that  to  command  the  price  for  the 
birds  of  the  one  who  does  use  it,  he  must  use  it  himself. 
The  reason  for  this  is  the  almighty  dollar;  in  other 
words,  "results." 

When  chickens,  especially  cockerels,  run  at  large, 
while  their  appetites  are  good  they  lead  too  gay  and 
active  a  life  to  lay  on  much  flesh.  If  they  are  cooped 
up  and  fed  from  troughs  they  may  eat  a  little,  but  they 
are  not  active  enough  to  create  much  of  an  appetite, 
and  as  they  have  previously  led  an  active  life  they  are 
not  contented  at  being  confined,  consequently  they  eat 
little  comparatively.  In  other  words,  they  have  not 
appetite  enough  to  eat  all  the  system  can  assimilate. 
JSTow  when  the  cramming  machine  is  used  it  matters 
not  whether  the  bird  has  an  appetite.  That  bird  is  fed 
all  it  can  possibly  assimilate.  The  food  should  be  so 
prepared  that  the  fowl  can  assimilate  it  with  the  least 
possible  exertion  on  the  part  of  the  digestive  organs. 
When  this  is  done  the  bird  has  assimilated  so  much 
more  food  than  when  fed  otherwise  that  it  is  in  much 
more  flesh  and  commands  much  better  price.  It  leaves 
a  profit  that  well  repays  for  the  extra  work  of  feeding 
each  bird  by  machine. 

The  birds  will  stand  this  high  feeding  for  a  certain 
time,  which  is  between  two  and  four  weeks,  and  take  on 
a  surprising  amount  of  flesh.  But  there  comes  a  time, 
if  kept  up,  when  the  reaction  seems  to  set  in,  and  the 
trick  is  to  get  those  birds  off  to  market  before  that  time 
or  before  the  reaction  has  set  in  so  far  as  to  have  done 
any  harm.  This  is  generally  known  and  understood 
when  ducks  are  fattened  in  large  quantities.  By  a  little 
experience  one  can  master  the  process  and  would  not 
then  think  of  being  without  a  cramming  machine. 


ij4  POLLTKY       FEEDING       AND       FATTEXING 

Cooping  and  Care — In  fattening  put  each  bird  in 
a  stall  b}'  itself,  as  shown  in  Figure  D.  Several  can 
be  put  together  and  good  results  obtained,  but  event- 
ually one  will  learn  that  it  is  much  more  satisfactory 
to  have  each  bird  in  a  stall  by  itself.  Do  not  build  the 
coops  stationary,  but  of  a  size  easy  to  handle,  for  when 
stationary  it  requires  too  much  time  to  whitewash, 
which  should  be  done  after  each  lot  is  taken  out.  The 
best  and  cheapest  coop  is  made  of  laths  nailed  on  to 
a  frame,  being  four  feet  long,  seventeen  inches  high, 
eighteen  inches  wide.  On  the  bottom  nail  two  or  three 
laths,  leaving  a  space  of  one  inch  between  laths.  This 
will  leave  a  space  both  back  and  front  of  bottom  for 
droppings  to  go  through,  and  so  keep  the  coop  clean. 
This  space  must  be  left  both  back  and  front  of  the 
bottom,  as  a  bird  will  turn  around  so  long  as  it  can 
get  its  head  up.  These  coops  can  be  set  up  from  the 
floor  and  the  droppings  scraped  up  from  the  floor.  But 
if  space  is  to  be  economized,  pieces  a  little  longer  than 
the  hight  of  the  coop  should  be  nailed  on  to  the  four 
corners  to  serve  as  legs.  Then  a  tray  can  be  put  -under 
each  coop  and  coops  put  on  top  of  each  other  three  or 
four  high.  The  coop  will  keep  clean,  and  by  cleaning 
the  trays  out  every  two  or  three  days,  the  air  in  the 
room  will  keep  sweet.  Gypsum  or  land  plaster  is  a 
good  disinfectant,  and  it  is  well  to  sprinkle  the  bottom 
of  the  trays  with  it  after  they  have  been  cleaned  out. 
To  whitewash  make  a  trough  a  little  larger  than  the 
coop,  put  about  ten  inches  of  whitewash  in  it.  Put 
in  coop,  turn  over,  and  the  job  is  done. 

How  to  Feed — Wheel  the  cramming  machine  up 
to  the  coop  in  which  are  the  birds  to  be  fed.  Take  the 
bird  in  the  left  hand,  holding  its  feet  and  flight  feathers 
of  the  wings  in  the  same  hand,  stretch  out  the  neck 
and  push  onto  the  feed  tube  of  cramming  machine, 
being  sure  end  of  tube  is  in  crop.     Keep  the  fingers  of 


Fig.  y — INUlViULAL    COOPS 


80 


I'OULTliY       FEEDING       ASD      EATTENIXG 


the  riglit  hand  on  crop  and  press  tlie  treadle  with  the 
foot.  At  first,  feed  the  bird  lightly.  After  a  few  days 
the  crop  can  be  filled  full.  See  Figure  10,  which  showf? 
several  cramming  machines  in  a  large  plant.  Several 
types  of  cramming  machines  are  shown  in  Figures  11, 
13  and  13. 

As  to  the  feed,  some  use  one  thing,  some  another, 
but  do  not  feed  too  much  corn  meal.  Be  sure  to  use 
pulverized  charcoal  in  the  feed,  about  three  pounds  to 
100  pounds  of  feed.  It  is  a  peculiar  characteristic  of 
fowls  that  they  can  assimilate  a  large  amount  of  fat, 
and  this  point  should  not  be  overlooked  when  very  best 
results  are  desired.  The  food  should  be  mixed  to  a 
consistency  of  thick  cream,  and  to  be  sure  the  food  is 
all  right  take  note  of  the  droppings.  They  should  not 
be  watery,  but  of  a  consistency  to  hold  together.  If 
the  fowls  have  been  fed  right,  it  will  be  noted  that  they 
gain  most  during  the  second  week. 

The  main  points  in  fattening  by  cramming  are  to 
watch  3'our  birds  and  know  the  amount  of  food  to  give. 
It  is  well  to  slightly  ferment  the  food  before  feeding. 
This  may  be  done  by  mixing  the  food  up  twelve  to 
twenty-four  hours  before  feeding.  If  the  weather  is 
cool  the  food  should  be  put  in  a  warm  place. 

Figuring  the  Profit — The  difference  between  fat- 
tening fowls  by  cooping  and  feeding  by  trough  and 
feeding  by  cramming  is  the  extra  weight  of  flesh  that 
is  put  on.  x\side  from  the  fact  that  a  good  many  birds 
actually  lose  flesh  when  cooped  and  fed  from  troughs, 
those  that  do  well  do  not  gain  nearly  so  much  as  those 
fed  by  machine.  Xow  the  cost  of  time  of  feeding  in 
trough  is  less  than  when  the  machine  is  used,  but  the 
cost  of  time  when  fed  by  machine  is  not  over  three 
and  one-half  cents  per  bird  for  three  weeks.  If  the 
bird  fed  by  cramming  machine  weighs  four  pounds  at 
start  of  feeding,  it  should  weigh  six  pounds  after  fat- 


88  rULLTKY       PEEDIXa       AND       lATTKXIXG 

tened.  But  after  fattened  it  would  sell  for  at  lea^t 
four  cents  more  per  pound  than  before  fattened.  In 
the  first  instance  at  twelve  cents  per  pound,  forty-eight 
cents;  in  the  second  ninety-six  cents;  but  cost  of  feed 
for  three  weeks  is  twelve  and  one-half  cents,  cost  of 
time  three  and  one-half  cents,  leaving  a  net  i:)rofit  of 
thirty-two  cents. 

It  is  but  the  difference  between  actual  cost  and 
selling  price  tliat  must  be  considered  in  business,  and 
this  is  the  real  reason  why  the  cramming  machine  is 
of  such  benefit  to  poultrymen. 

I  started  fattening  by  cramming,  because  I  h:id 
known  from  many  years'  experience  that  much  of  my 
market  poultry  was  not  in  condition  to  command  the 
highest  price.  Furthermore,  a  market  poultryman  who 
was  in  a  position  to  know  told  me  that  if  one  could 
fatten  poultry  successfully  by  cramming,  there  was  more 
money  in  that  line  than  in  any  other,  as  there  was 
always  a  dearth  of  fanc}'  j^oultry  in  the  market.  I 
finally  started  to  make  a  cramming  machine,  but  had 
no  literature  on  the  subject,  nor  ami:hing  to  go  by. 
From  a  coffee  pot  and  a  baking  powder  can,  I  rigged 
up  a  reservoir  and  cjdinder  for  holding  feed.  A  spout 
was  soldered  to  the  can  and  a  stout  wire  with  a  cap 
used  for  a  plunger.  This  was  connected  to  a  foot  lever 
forcing  out  the  feed. 

I  constructed  a  coop  with  the  front  and  partitions 
of  wire,  divided  into  seven  stalls,  and  put  in  seven  birds. 
These  were  fed  on  one-third  bran  and  two-thirds  coarse 
corn  meal,  but  they  did  not  gain  in  weight.  The  pump 
broke  many  times,  and  it  was  changed  this  way  and  that 
until  finally  perfected.  It  took  longer  to  feed  these 
seven  birds  than  it  does  now  to  feed  200. 

Before  the  next  lot  of  l)irds  was  put  in,  the  coops 
were  changed  somewhat,  and  the  windows  darkened. 
I  got  the  pump  to  working  better,  but  had  to  stop  and 


Fig.  11 — ^.i.]\rEracAN-   poultry    cramming   machine 


-Fig.  12 — ^AN    ENGLISH    FEEDING    MACHINE 


90  rOULTKY       TEKDING      AND       PATTEXING 

fill  it  for  about  ever}^  tliird  bird.  When  I  had  finished 
the  lot,  some  were  heavier  than  when  originally  put 
in,  and  some  were  not.  For  the  third  lot,  I  bought 
bolted  corn  meal  where  previously  I  had  used  common 
coarse  meal,  and  to  the  mixture  of  one-third  bran  and 
two-thirds  meal,  I  added  a  little  charcoal.  To  my 
surprise,  the  birds  did  much  better  than  before.  In 
fact,  they  all  gained,  though  some  of  them  precious 
little.  Of  the  twenty-one  birds,  I  lost  seven.  I  was 
so  anxious  to  give  them  a  square  meal  that  I  not  only 
filled  the  crop,  but  the  windpipe  also. 

I  made  more  coops  and  kept  at  it,  for  the  market- 
men  gave  me  gi-eat  encouragement  in  the  way  of  prices 
for  those  I  fattened,  and  I  saw  the  good  dcrllar  ahead 
if  once  I  could  cut  out  the  loss.  I  kept  losing  birds, 
but  at  length  I  awoke  to  the  fact  that  I  was  feeding 
each  bird  the  same  amount  of  food.  So  I  changed 
about,  and  gauged  the  amount  of  feed  by  feeling  of 
the  crop.  The  percentage  of  loss  decreased  perceptibly, 
and  by  constant  patience  and  untiring  energ)^  I  grad- 
ually lessened  that  loss  so  that  to-day  it  is  about 
nothing:;  in  fact,  with  most  lots,  none  at  all,  and  in 
cases  where  they  do  die  it  is  a  bird  that  was  sickly  at 
time  of  coo-ping  up.  I  now  make  better  than  $30  on 
each  100  birds  fattening  three  weeks.  I  have  had  lots 
of  birds  gain  three  pounds  or  more,  and  the  greater 
number  two  pounds,  the  first  two  weeks.  The  birds 
never  look  more  healthy  than  when  they  are  ready  for 
market.  Tlieir  feathers  are  sleek,  their  combs  red,  their 
eyes  bright,  and  they  are  well  filled  out.  They  gen- 
erally bring  six  cents  per  pound  more  than  otlier 
chickens. 

"With  regard  to  the  coops,  it  took  but  one  lot  to 
convince  me  that  there  should  be  a  part  of  the  bottom 
left  off  at  the  back  for  the  droppings  to  go  through, 
otherwise  it  made  an  unsightly  mess.     I  have  the  coops 


THE      AliT      or      POULTKY      KITTENING 


1)1 


SO  arranged  that  a  great  deal  of  time  is  saved  in  feeding. 
I  usually  feed  from  225  to  250  per  Lour,  but  I  have  on 
occasion  fed  330.     The  coops  are  on  legs  with  a  tray 


Fig.    13 CANADIAN-    FEEDING    MACHINE    IN    OPERATION 

underneath  to  catch  the  droppings,  and  in  that  way  I 
put  them  tliree  high  and  economize  much  floor  space. 
The  front  is  so  arranged  that  when  the  lath  is  pushed 
up  it  stays  there,  and  after  I  put  the  bird  back,  give 
the  lath  a  gentle  tap  and  it  drops  in  place. 


CHAPTEIJ    A  HI 
LESSOyS  FROM  FOREIGN  EXPERTS 

BY    EDWARD    V,.    BROWN 

THERE  are  approved  methods  for  fattening,  viz. : 
(1)  from  the  trough,  (2)  by  hand,  (3)  by 
funnel,  and  (4)  by  machine.  The  first  systejn 
has  already  been  referred  to,  and  is  chiefly 
employed  for  the  production  of  half-fattened  specimens, 
which  may  either  be  kept  in  the  ordinary  pens  or  in  a 
house  and  run,  which  can  be  moved  on  fresh  ground 
as  often  as  is  necessary.  It  is  fitted  with  troughs  at 
either  side.  One  of  these  appliances,  six  feet  long  by 
three  feet  wide,  is  large  enough  for  a  dozen  birds,  and 
is  a  suitable  form  for  ordinary  farmers.  In  Belgium 
the  famous  Coucou  de  Malines  are  fattened  entirely 
from  troughs,  they  are  kept  in  closely  covered  sheds 
during  the  entire  process. 

Hand  Feeding — Some  of  the  finest  fowls  which  are 
produced  both  in  England  and  France  are  crammed 
by  hand ;  but  the  process  is  slow,  so  that  it  is  only 
suitable  where  labor  is  abundant  and  cheap.  In  a  large 
establishment  it  would  be  impossible  to  get  through  the 
work  if  hand  cramming  were  depended  upon.  The 
food  is  mixed  to  a  thick  paste,  and  formed  into  pellets 
or  boluses  about  three-fourths  inch  long  and  one-half 
inch  thick.  There  are  two  ways  in  which  feeding  takes 
place.  In  one  a  number  of  pellets  are  prepared,  the 
operator  takes  hold  of  the  bird's  head,  gripping  it 
between  his  l)ody  and  left  arm,  opens  the  mouth  with 
the  thumb  of  his  loft  hand,  dips  the  pellet  into  whey 
or  milk,  inserts  it  in  the  mouth  and  presses  it  down 
the  throat  with  his  finger,  and  then  carries  the  food 


LESSOXS     FilOM     roKElGX     EXPERT^ 


93 


into  the  crop  by  running  his  thumb  and  finger  down 
the  outside  of  the  gTillet.  The  second  plan  varies 
somewhat.  The  operator  sits  upon  a  stool,  with  a  lot 
of  paste  and  a  bowl  of  milk  or  whey  before  him.  The 
bird  is  placed  upon  his  knees,  its  legs  held  firmly  by 
them,  the  left  hand  holding  the  wings,  and  he  places 
a  small  quantity  of  food,  after  dipping  it  in  the  milk, 
into  its  mouth,  allowing  it  to  swallow  in  the  usual 
manner,  there  being  no  actual  cramming.  Both  of 
these  methods  are  very  simple.  In  some  instances  a 
combination  of  these  two  methods  is  adopted.  The 
birds  are  kept  in  cages,  to  which  are  fitted  troughs. 


Fig.  14 — FUXNEL    FOR    CRAMMING 

After  each  meal  the  attendant  goes  round,  feels  the 
crop  of  each  fowl,  and  crams  a  few  of  the  pellets  when 
it  is  thought  necessary  to  do  so. 

Cramming  hy  funnel  is  largely  carried  on  in  south- 
ern N'ormandy.  In  this  case  the  food  is  made  into  liquid 
form  about  the  consistency  of  cream.  A  specially  made 
funnel,  tlie  nozzle  of  which  is  carefully  turned  to 
prevent  injury  to  the  bird's  throat,  is  inserted  into  the 


94  J'OLLTKY       lEEDIXG       AMJ       FATTEXIXG 

pjiiliet  until  the  orilico  enters  the  crop,  wliicli  can  h^' 
felt  by  the  finger,  and  tlie  food  is  spooned  therein  until 
the  crop  is  full,  when  the  funnel  is  withdrawn.  In 
operation  the  process  requires  a  much  shorter  time  than 
it  takes  to  descril^e,  but  care  must  be  taken,  or  there  is 
danger  of  choking  the  fowl.  These  funnels,  Figure  14, 
can  be  purchased  at  a  reasonable  price,  and  splendid 
quality  of  flesh  is  produced  in  this  manner. 

Cramming  hij  macliines  is  found  to  be  most 
expeditious,  and  the 'first  cost  is  speedily  saved  in  the 
labor  bill.  An  expert  operator  can  feed  as  many  as 
250  birds  an  hour,  so  that  the  duration  of  the  insertion 
is  very  short.  ]\ranY  have  the  idea  that  this  sj^stem  is 
a  cruel  one,  but  it  is  not.  A  careless  or  inexpert 
operator  can  hurt  the  subject,  but  it  does  not  pay  him 
to  do  so,  as  any  injury  to  the  throat  or  mouth  would 
cause  inflammation  to  set  in  and  the  bird  would  die. 
The  tube  which  is  passed  down  the  throat  is  of  india 
rubber,  flexible,  and  as  the  cartilaginous  rings  of  the 
neck  are  flexible,  it  enters  quite  easily.  The  way  in 
which  the  fowls  anticipate  the  feeding  time,  after  the 
first  two  or  three  days,  shows  how  they  regard  the 
operation.  The  machine  largely  used,  shown  in  Figure 
12,  has  a  horizontal  cylinder,  and  is  operated  by  a 
foot  lever.  A  is  the  reservoir  for  the  food;  5,  the 
pump  cylinder;  E,  the  piston  rod;  G,  the  spring  foot 
pedal  and  piston  back  again ;  K,  nozzle  and  food  tube ; 
M,  stop  for  regulating  quantity  of  food;  0,  lever  and 
treadle.  For  use  in  these  machines  the  food  is  made 
semi-liquid,  about  the  consistency  of  very  thick  cream, 
which  is  placed  in  the  reservoir.  The  operator  moistens 
the  tube  with  milk  to  make  it  pass  easily,  takes  the 
tube  in  his  right  hand,  the  bird's  head  in  the  left,  the 
bird  itself  being  held  firmly  under  the  left  arm.  Then 
with  the  assistance  of  the  finger  and  thumb  of  the  right 
hand  he  opens  the  bird's  mouth,  and  slips  the  fore- 


LESSONS     FEO:\I     POREIGN     EXPERTS 


95 


finger  into  it  to  hold  down  the  tongue,  quickly  inserts 
the  end  of  the  tube,  and,  holding  the  neck  perfectly 
straight  at  its  full  length,  pushes  it  down  four  or  five 
inches,  according  to  the  size  of  the  bird.  At  this 
moment  the  heel  of  the  right  foot,  which  up  to  this 
time  has  been  resting  on  the  treadle,  is  depressed  and 
forces  the  contents  of  the  cylinder  into  the  crop  until 
it  is  sufficiently  charged.  When  the  crop  is  full  enougli, 
the  tube  is  withdrawn,  care  being  taken  to  relieve  the 
pressure  on  the  treadle  for  a  second  or  two  before  taking 


Fig.     15 FRENCH     FATTENING    AND     KILLING     SHEDS 

the  tube  out,  otherwise  a  small  quantity  of  the  food 
will  continue  to  flow  after  the  tube  is  removed.  The 
quantity  of  the  food  can  be  regulated  to  a  nicety,  and 
the  great  thing  is  to  cease  pressure  the  moment 
sufficient  has  been  placed  in  the  crop. 

The  most  important  point  in  connection  witJi 
fattening  poultry  is  to  give  the  food  regularly,  and  if 
there  is  any  remaining  in  the  crop  from  the  previous 
meal  not  to  give  any  at  all.  Several  of  the  French 
cramming  machines  are  for  liquid  food,  and  attached 
to  them  is  a  piece  of  india  rubber  tubing,  fitted  with 
a  spring  tap  or  nozzle,  so  that  the  birds  can  be  fed 


yO  POULTRY       FEEDIXG      AND      FATTENING 

in  pens  without  taking  tlicm  out,  the  liquid  flowing 
when  the  sj^ring  is  released.  In  this  case  the  nozzle 
only  is  placed  in  the  mouth,  not  pressed  down  the 
throat.  The  head  must  be  held  well  up  and  the  neck 
stretched  to  allow  of  easy  swallov\^ing. 

French  Methods — Without  exception,  the  food  in 
France  is  always  prepared  from  finely  ground  meal, 
liard  corn  never  being  employed.  Buckwheat  meal, 
maize  meal  and  barley  meal  are  used.  With  one  or 
other  of  these  is  used  skimmilk,  but  in  several  districts 
of  France  the  whey  of  curdled  milk  is  preferred,  and  in 
the  La  Bresse  country  the  latter  is  thought  to  give  bettor 
perfection  in  fattening  and  improve  the  quality  of  the 
flesh.  Some  of  the  fatteners  are  content  to  mix  hot 
water  with  the  meal,  but  all  acknowledge  that  milk  or 
whey  is  better.  In  some  cases,  boiled  potatoes  are 
mixed  with  the  food.  In  some  parts  of  France,  fat  is 
mixed  with  the  food.  It  is  customary  when  the  older 
birds  are  to  be  fattened  to  divide  them  in  accordance 
with  their  sex  and  kind.  See  Figure  15  for  illustration 
of  fattening  and  killing  sheds. 

English  Chiclcen  Fattening — In  England  a  number 
of  people  make  a  business  of  fattening  chicks  for  the 
market.  These  chicks  are  bought  of  farmers  when 
weighing  three  to  four  pounds  and  then  prepared  for 
market.  Professor  Eobertson,  commissioner  of  agricul- 
ture for  Canada,  thus  describes  a  visit  to  a  chicken 
fattener  in  Sussex,  England :  He  began  life  as  a  farm 
laborer  and  is  now  doing  a  prosperous  business.  I 
would  not  like  to  say  how  much  the  fattening  business 
brought  him  in,  but  I  should  not  be  surprised  to  learn 
that  his  annual  net  income  was  about  $5000. 

He  has  on  an  average  4800  chicks  fattening  at  his 
place.  In  approaching  the  house  I  went  down  a  lane, 
lined  on  both  sides  with  coops  in  which  there  were 
chicks.     Other  coops  were  placed  about  the  place.     The 


LESSONS     iniOM     POKEIGN     EXPERTS  ^H 

special  buildings  required  for  this  purpose  are  very 
cheap  affairs  and  not  at  all  large.  Two-thirds  of  the 
fattening  is  done  in  the  open  air.  He  rears  only  a  small 
portion  of  the  chicks  which  he  fattens,  and  has  a  man 
wlio  goes  around  on  certain  routes  every  two  weeks, 
collecting  chicks  from  farmers,  who  raise  them  to  about 
three  and  one-half  pounds  live  weight. 

The  coops  in  which  the  chicks  are  put  for  fattening 
are  about  six  and  one-half  feet  long,  sixteen  inches  wide 
and  sixteen  inches  high  inside.  Each  coop  is  divided 
into  three  compartments  and  in  each  one  of  these  are  put 


Fig.   16 ENGLISH     FATTENING     PEN" 

five  chicks.  The  coops  are  made  of  sticks  or  rods  with 
a  sliding  door  in  front  of  each  compartment.  (See 
Figures  16  and  17.) 

The  chicks  are  fed  about  three  weeks,  but  some- 
tim^es  longer  or  less,  according  to  their  condition  when 
received,  and  the  activity  or  dullness  of  the  market. 
They  are  fed  on  oats  ground  very  fine,  the  hulls  being 
j)ulverized  until  they  are  almost  like  dust.  This  is 
mixed  with  skimmilk,  either  sweet  or  sour,  but  prefer- 
ably sour,  to  a  consistency  of  thin  porridge,  so  that 
it  will  drop  but  not  run  off  the  end  of  the  spoon.     It 


98  POULTRY       FEEDING       AXD       TATTEXIXG 

is  tisuall}^  fed  raw  in  a  Y-sliapecl  wooden  trough  placed 
in  front  of  each  coop.  The  chicks  are  fed  a  small 
amount  of  this  three  times  a  day  at  first.  They  are 
kept  hungry  for  the  first  week  and  after  this  are  fed 
twice  a  day  as  much  as  they  will  eat.  During  the  last 
ten  days  a  small  quantity  of  tallow  is  added  to  the 
mixture.  This  is  melted  and  mixed  with  a  small 
portion  of  meal,  when  it  will  mix  readily  with  the  bulk 
of  the  feed.  A  pound  of  tallow  to  seventy  chicks  is 
given  at  the  beginning  of  the  ten  days'  feeding  and 
gradually  increased  to  one  pound  to  fifty  chicks. 

Summary  of  English  Methods — The  following 
rules  have  been  drafted  by  one  of  the  most  successful 
south-countr}^  f atters  : 

In  fattening  fowls,  the  actual  amount  of  food 
supplied  goes  only  a  little  way  in  the  production  of 
flesh  as  compared  with  the  conditions  under  which  the 
birds  are  kept. 

There  is  a  difl'erence  in  the  readiness  in  which 
fowls  fatten,  even  of  the  same  variety.  Large  framed 
birds,  well  grown,  produce  the  finest  specimens. 

"Where  first  quality  birds  are  to  be  turned  out, 
those  selected  should  be  placed  in  a  large  outside  run, 
and  for  the  first  three  or  four  weeks  fed  on  no  more  than 
one  meal  a  day.  They  are  then  removed  to  the  pens, 
and  the  food  gradually  increased  in  quantity  until  they 
have  as  much  as  they  can  eat,  when  they  are  finally 
finished  off  by  cramming,  as  already  described,  this 
last  stage  occupying  three  weeks.  The  object  of  the 
treatment  is  to  gradually  build  up  the  flesh  upon  the 
frame.  It  is  not  suitable  for  young  chickens,  which  are 
fed  right  off,  and  is  not  usual  for  ordinary  fowls. 

When  cramming  commences,  each  bird  should  be 
placed  in  a  separate  i[)(m,  or  two  to  six  together  in 
larger  compartments,  if  of  the  same  age  and  sex,  in  a 
quiet,  sweet,  And  if  possible,  rather  dark  room  or  shed. 


LESSONS     FROM     FOREIGN     EXPERTS 


99 


and  for  the  first  few  days  be  fed  from  a  trough,  finish- 
ing off  by  the  crammer. 

Before  a  bird  is  crammed,  the  crop  should  be  felt, 
and  if  there  remains  any  food  in  it  from  the  previous 
meal,  no  food  is  given  until  the  next  time  of  feeding. 
Observations  should  be  made  as  to  the  quantity  assim- 
ilated, so  as  to  give  a  fowl  each  time  as  near  as  possible 
just  about  as  much  as  it  can  digest.  Should  a  bird 
show  any  sign  of  sickness,  it  should  be  placed  in  an 
open  run  for  twenty-four  hours  without  food.  To  aid 
digestion,  grit  may  be  given  in  a  dish  before  each  pen, 
and  boiled  nettles  mixed  with  the  food  two  or  three 


rf-J^VSSifi? 


II  II 
Jl 
I  I 


^^^r?>rr. 


I'liliTiilJi 

i!      I    : 


^iC^lpgiJ^;-: 


Fi^:.   17 — ENGLISH    FATTENING    SHED 


times  a  week  as  an  aid  in  keeping  the  blood  cool. 
Young  chickens  may  be  fed  three  times  a  day,  but  for 
older  birds  twice  a  day  is  much  to  be  preferred. 

It  is  customary  in  England  to  give  a  small  quan- 
tity of  fat  during  the  latter  stages  of  the  process,  and 
this  is  found  to  give  a  softness  to  the  flesh  which  is  very 
desirable,  but  the  amount  should  not  be  large,  or  the 


100  POL'y.TKY       FEEDIXa       AND       PATTEXIXG 

grossly  fattened  specimens  wliicli  are  so  oljjectionable 
vvill  be  i^roduced.  Xone  whatever  is  mixed  with  the  food 
whilst  the  fowls  are  being  fed  from  the  troughs,  but 
when  put  onto  the  crammer,  a  quarter  of  an  ounce 
should  be  allowed  :^or  each  bird  per  day,  or  a  table- 
spoonful  for  four  fowls,  gradually  increasing  it  to 
double  that  quantity.  Fat  may  be  bought  in  barrels 
for  this  purpose  ready  for  use,  but  in  most  of  the 
larger  towns  butchers'  scraps  can  be  purchased  at  a 
cheap  rate,  and  should  be  clarified  and  stored  ready  for 
use  when  required.  It  must,  of  course,  be  melted  and 
thoroughly  mixed  with  the  meal  and  milk.  It  is  some- 
times found,  especially  during  hot  weather,  necessary 
to  keep  the  blood  cool.  A  little  flowers  of  sulphur  is 
useful  to  this  end,  but  some  of  the  fatters  boil  nettles, 
and,  after  chopping,  mix  in  the  same  manner. 

Fowls  should  be  fed  twice  each  day,  and  at  regular 
times.  The  exact  hours  will  vary  in  accordance  with 
the  season  of  the  year.  In  summer  six  o'clock  in  the 
morning  and  six  o'clock  in  the  evening  will  be  the  most 
suitable,  but  in  winter  eight  in  the  morning  and  four  in 
the  afternoon  will  be  better.  In  this  case  the  evening 
meal  should  be  fuller  than  the  morning. 

Routine  of  a  German  Plant — Twenty-four  hours 
after  the  chicks  are  hatched  they  are  moved  into  cages. 
The  cages  are  simple,  having  straight  lattice  fronts, 
which  vary  in  space  between  bars  according  to  the  age 
of  the  birds.  Sliding  doors  facilitate  cleaning,  and  the 
cages  vary  in  size,  for  as  twenty  birds  are  kept  together 
they  need  more  space  as  they  grow.  Out  of  these  cages 
they  never  go.  Before  them  is  a  constant  supply  of 
food,  made  of  maize  meal  and  buckwheat  meal  mixed 
with  milk,  for  several  cows  are  kept  on  the  farm.  A 
little  phosphate  of  lime  is  given  for  bone  and  feather 
formation.  Each  room  is  warmed,  and  yet  there  is  a 
constant  supply  of  fresh  air,  but  it  must  pass  around 


LESSOXS     FROM     TOKEIGX     EXPERTS  101 

the  stove  ere  entering  so  that  the  birds  are  kept  in  an 
even  temperature.  Treated  in  such  a  way,  many 
chickens  are  ready  for  killing  at  six  weeks  old,  while 
all  meet  their  fate  ere  they  attain  two  months.  At 
this  latter  age  many  weigh  three  pounds  each,  and  the 
prices  per  pound  yarj  from  twenty-two  to  thirty  cents, 
according  to  the  season.  They  are  killed  on  the  spot 
and  dispatched  in  various  ways.  The  German  parcels 
post  being  chea23  tends  to  develop  business.  In  summer 
ice  is  used  for  packing.  In  1890  9000  chicks  were 
reared  in  this  manner,  in  addition  to  1000  sold  alive 
at  two  to  three  days  old.  Several  hundred  fat  fowls 
of  four  or  five  months  were  sold,  but  these  were  reared 
outside  and  fattened  in  cages,  on  the  French  plan, 
accommodations  being  provided  for  300  birds  in 
another  building. 

Below  the  pens,  which  are  made  in  sets  of  six,  is 
a  long  board  similar  to  that  employed  in  canary  cages, 
kept  covered  with  earth,  and  the  droppings  fall  upon 
this  tray  through  the  bars  at  the  back  of  the  floor,  the 
latter  being  solid  only  half  way  in.  The  cages  are 
simple  in  construction,  having  a  sliding  bar  in  front, 
and  stand  upon  short  legs.  The  food  trough  runs  the 
whole  length  af  each  set  of  six.  The  cages  are  six  feet 
long,  one  foot  six  inches  deep  and  one  foot  nine  inches 
high,  divided  into  six  compartments.  The  tray  is 
three  inches  deep  and  slides  easily  in  and  out,  the  legs 
being  carried  six  inches  below  the  pen  proper. 

Foods  Used — In  Belgium  finely  ground  buckwheat 
is  universall}^  used,  and  this  gives  very  good  results. 
In  France  buckwheat  meal  and  fine  barley  meal  are 
used  very  largely,  both  of  which  are  very  good,  but  by 
reason  of  the  greater  amount  of  lime  in  oats  they 
certainly  are  the  best. 

With  meal  should  be  mixed  sour  skinunilk,  butter- 
milk or  whey  free  from  curds.     In  Sussex,  England, 


102  POULTKY       PEEDIXG       AND       FATTENING 

the  whe}^  alone  is  adopted,  and  one  of  the  largest  fatters 
sometimes  pays  $100  a  week  for  milk  during  the  busy 
season.  Whole  milk  would  not  only  be  more  expensive, 
but  the  butter  fat  in  it  is  not  necessary,  and  other  fat 
can  be  substituted  at  a  much  cheaper  rate.  Surprise 
is  often  expressed  that  sour  rather  than  sweet  milk 
should  be  used.  In  practice  it  is  found  that  the  former 
gives  better  results,  the  acid  generated  by  the  turning 
of  either  milk,  buttermilk  or  whey  causing  more  rapid 
action  than  would  be  the  case  if  it  were  sweet.  Not 
only  is  the  milk  itself  soured,  but  when  mixed  witli 
meal,  as  is  usually  done  immediately  after  feeding  is 
over,  it  is  allowed  to  stand  for  several  hours,  until  a 
slight  fermentation  has  taken  place.  The  advantage 
of  being  able  to  use  what  is  often  waste  products  is 
very  great,  and  on  dairy  farms  the  skimmilk  and 
buttermilk  can  be  thus  made  of  great  service. 


CHAPTEK   IX 
AMERICAN   FATTENING   METHODS 

THE  big  Kansas  City  and  Chicago  packing  houses 
are  going  into  the  chicken  fattening  business  in 
a  wholesale  manner.  One  of  them  proposes  to 
start  branch  feeding  establishments  to  collect  and 
fatten  chickens  for  the  main  concern.  Lean  chickens, 
it  is  claimed,  can  be  made  to  gain  two  pounds  each  in 
two  weeks  at  a  cost  of  two  cents  per  pound,  while  the 
specially  fattened  bird  will  sell  for  three  and  four  cents 
more  per  pound  than  the  unfattened  one.  The  fat- 
tened flesh  is  softer,  richer  and  also  lighter  in  color. 
At  present  only  a  part  of  the  10,000  fowls  killed 
daily  are  specially  fattened,  but  cage  accommodations 
are  furnished  for  about  that  number.  Long  rows  of 
continuous  coops  are  piled  one  on  top  of  the  other  in 
a  huge  room.  The  chickens  are  kept  in  a  dark  room. 
Just  before  feeding  time  huge  shutters  which  obscure 
the  light  are  opened.  These  shutters  are  high  on  the 
sides  of  the  building.  The  chickens,  with  the  light 
turned  on  them,  become  active.  Three  times  a  day  the 
chickens  are  fed  and  are  permitted  to  eat  for  a  half 
hour  only.  Long  troughs  run  the  entire  length  of  each 
row  of  coops.  The  spaces  between  the  laths  are  just 
large  enough  to  permit  the  chicken  to  thrust  his  head 
out  of  them  into  the  trough.  Six  chickens  are  confined 
in  each  coop  and  there  is  an  opening  for  each  chicken. 
It  has  been  discovered  tliat  a  chicken  will  eat  twice 
as  much  if  fed  regularly  three  times  a  day  as  if  per- 
mitted to  feed  all  day  long.  Just  as  soon  as  the  half 
hour's  stuffing  is  concluded  the  room  is  once  more 
darkened  and  the  troughs  taken  down.  The  chickens, 
thoroughly    satisfied,    become     almost    dormant.     For 


r^ 


1U4 


rOULTKY       FEEUIXG       AND       PATTENING 


fifteen  minutes  before  feeding  they  keep  up  a  contin- 
uous  crowing.  Two  minutes  after  the  feeding  not  ?i 
sound  can  be  heard  in  the  chicken  department. 

The  food  comprises  a  variety  of  grains  ground  very 
fine,  cooked  and  fed  moist.  These  stall-fed  fowls  are 
becoming  very  poj^ular  at  high  prices  wherever  offered. 
Experiments  are  being  made  with  the  machine  poultry 
feeders  as  used  in  Europe,  and  an  American  t3^e  of 
the  macliine  has  been  invented.  But  at  present  nearly 
all  the  fowls  are  pen  fattened.  The  plan  may  easily  be 
followed  by  small  producers,  the  essentials  being  quiet 
and  darkness  except  at  feeding  time,  and  plenty  of  soft 
food  in  variety,  with  regular  feeding. 

Progress  in  Canada — At  the  new  chicken  fattening- 
Btations  in  Canada  the  methods  practiced  are  those  by 
which  the  best  grade  of  poultry  is  prepared  for  the 


Fig.    18 FRAME    OF    CANADIAN    FATTENING    CRATE 


E..glish  market,  the  object  being  to  fit  Canadian 
poiJtry  to  bring  the  highest  prices  when  exported,  but 
the  product  is  in  demand  in  its  home  market  also,  ai 
advanced  prices.  The  cliickens  are  bought  from  farmers 
at  the  weight  of  three  to  three  and  one-half  pounds  live 
wei^'ht,  choosing  the  l)roods  likely  to  fatten  well,  anrl 
Avith  white  or  lij^ht  yellow  legs,  paying  for  these  thirty- 
five  to  sixty  Ct^iil-?  per  pair. 


AMElilCAX      TATTEXIXG      METHODS 


105 


The  chickens  are  put  in  small  open  lattice  coops 
and  fed  on  ground  grain,  chiefl}^  oats  mixed  with 
skimmilk.  During  the  last  part  of  the  process  they 
receive  an  allowance  of  tallow.  Four  to  twelve  chickens 
are  kept  in  each  coop.  The  grain  is  gi'ound  tine  and 
mixed  with  skimmilk,  sweet  or  sour,  sour  being 
preferred.  The  mixture  resembles  cream  or  thin  por- 
ridge. At  first,  food  is  given  three  times  a  day  for  the 
first  ten  days,  then  twice  a  day.  At  the  end  of  the 
second  ten  davs  the  cramminsj  machine  is  used.     Tallow 


Fig.     19 TWELVE     PLYMOUTH     EOCK     CHICKENS     i:N'     A 

CANADIAN     FATTEXIXG     CRATE 


fed  during  the  last  ten  days  is  melted,  thickened  with 
meal  and  then  mixed  with  the  porridge.  It  is  the  rule 
not  to  feed  at  all  until  the  crop  is  empty  from  the  last 
meal.  The  cost  of  food  in  some  recent  experiments 
was  6.43  cents  per  pound  of  live  weight  gained. 

For  twentj^-four  hours  before  killing,  the  birds  are 
not  fed.  Tliey  are  bled  through  the  mouth,  plucked, 
l)ut  not  drawn.  A  ring  of  feathers  about  two  inches 
long  is  left  at  the  head  of  each  bird.  They  are  shaped 
on  a  shaping  board,  cooled,  wrapjDcd  in  a  piece  of  clean 


lOG 


rOULTKV       lEEDlNG       AND       PATTEXING 


bro\^Ti  paper,  leaving  the  neck  and  head  projecting  at 
one  end  and  the  legs  at  the  other.  Shipping  cases  for 
twelve  fowls  are  33x19x6  1-2  inches.  The  financial 
side  of  one  experiment  foots  up  as  follows:  Cost  of 
chickens,  fifty-four  cents;  food,  thirty-three  cents;  ship- 
ping cases,  three  cents;  freight,  commission,  etc.,  eigh- 
teen cents:  total  cost,  $1.08  ner  pair.  They  sold  for 
$1.76  per  pair. 


Fig.    20 CRATES   OF   CHICKEXS    FATTENING   UNDER   THE 

TREES    AT    BONDVILLE,    QUE. 

The  result  of  the  second  year's  work  was  con- 
sidered on  the  whole  much  better  tlian  the  result  of 
the  first  at  every  station.  The  knowledge  and  ability 
can  be  acquired  only  by  experience.  In  a  locality  where 
a  station  was  opened,  the  first  year  the  farmers  had  not 
the  right  sort  of  chickens  to  fatten  well.  Breeds  of 
chickens  like  Leghorns  and  Minorcas  do  not  fatten 
profitably.  The  fattening  of  them  is  like  trying  to 
fatten  Jersey  steers  as  against  Shorthorn  bullocks. 
Tlie  Plymouth  Rocks  and  Wyandottos  give  far  l)etter 
results    in    fattening    than    tlie    smaller    breeds.     At 


AMERICA  X      i-ATTEXlXG      METHODS  11)7 

\Yhitby,  Ont.,  in  1000,  were  fattened  131:  chickens, 
which  cost  55.8  cents  per  pair.  The  feed  was  valued 
at  $1.20  per  100  pounds  for  ground  oats  and  fifteen 
cents  per  100  pounds  for  skimmilk.  At  these  rates  the 
feed  cost  23.2  cents  a  pair;  the  cost  of  shipping  cases 
2.2  cents  a  pair,  ocean  freight  and  cartage  7.8  cents  a 
pair,  selling  commission  six  cents  a  pair,  express  charges 
in   Canada  from   the   shipping   point  to  the  seaboard 


Fio-.  21 FATTENING  CRATES  AGAINST  A  TIGHT  FENCE 

o 

WITH    ROUGH    BOARD    SHELTER 

3.6  cents  a  pair.  The  whole  cost  was  97.6  cents  a  pair, 
and  these  were  sold  in  Manchester  for  $1.28,  leaving 
thirty  cents  a  pair  for  the  labor  and  profit. 

The  fattening  coops  are  made  of  frame  and  slats 
in  a  simple  manner  as  shown  by  the  illustrations.  Fig- 
ures 18,  19,  20  and  21.  A  coop  for  twelve  birds  is  six 
feet  long,  fifteen  inches  square  and  nineteen  inches 
high.  These  are  kept  on  stands  as  illustrated,  being 
placed  in  sheds  or  outdoors  in  a  sheltered  place.     The 


108  POULTRY       FEEDING       AND       EATTEXING 

chickens  are  fed  twice  a  da}-,  the  food  heing  placed  in 
the  trough  in  front,  and  the  droppings  fall  througli 
the  slats  to  the  ground.  Some  chickens  were  fattened 
on  the  ground,  but  those  in  coops  did  better.  It  was 
found  that  nothing  could  take  the  place  of  skinunilk, 
which  was  used  thick  and  sour  about  twice  as  much  by 
weight  as  of  grain.  The  manure  was  of  some  value, 
and  the  feathers,  averaging  four  ounces  per  bird, 
brought  seven  cents  per  pound. 

The  following  is  the  Canadian  fattening  expe- 
rience boiled  down  in  a  practical  wa}-:  The  most 
profitable  period  for  fattening  is  four  weeks.  Don't 
overfeed  the  first  week.  Eemove  food  left  over.  After 
first  week  give  them  all  they  Avill  eat.  Feed  twice  a 
day.  Grain  should  be  ground  very  fine.  Skimmilk 
makes  flesh  and  wdiitens  it.  Use  a  little  salt,  and 
supply  w^ater  and  grit.  Feed  tallow  the  last  ten  days, 
mixed  hot  with  ground  grain,  beginning  with  one  pound 
tallow  to  seventy  or  100  fowls  and  increasing  to  one 
pound  for  fifty  to  seventy.  Kill  lice  wdth  sulphur 
rubbed  under  wings  and  tail.  The  feeding  machine 
will  increase  the  gain  the  last  ten  days,  but  should  not 
be  used  longer.     Stuff  only  when  the  crop  is  empty. 

The  following  in  tabular  form  shows  the  results 
in  1900  from  some  of  the  best  Canadian  stations: — 

Gain  ix  Weight.  Cost  of  Feed. 

®.VhIv--  ^f'  Total  ^I'll^^  Total  ^"il'^' 

30  days  r^^j,  each  ^^.^ 

Lbs.  Lbs.  f    eta.  Cti. 

Whitby,  Ont 134              263              2.  13.55  5.1 

"      '           25                61              2.44  3.27  5.3 

Bondvme,  Que 50              U2Vi           2.85  7.96  5.6 

Truro,   N.    S 30                78              2.6  3.38  4.3 

Alberton,  P.  E.  1 126              SHVa           2.5  16.12  5.1 

Totals   365  858%  2.35  44.28  5.27 

Feeding  Fowls  in  Yards — The  results  of  several 
comprehensive  trials  by  the  Maine  experiment  station 
prove  conclusively  that  confinement  in  small  coops  as 


AMERICAX      l-ATTEXIXG      METHODS  109 

practiced  abroad  is  not  necessary  for  the  best  or  cheap- 
est gains.  Prof.  G.  ^l.  Gowell  has  made  six  group 
trials  of  close  confinement  as  against  partial  liberty  in 
fattening  chickens.  Different  foods  were  also  tried, 
but  in  each  case  they  consisted  of  a  mixture  of  ground 
grain  and  by-products  wet  up  with  either  water  or 
skimmilk.  The  trials  comprised  the  use  of  thirty-five 
separate  coops  and  six  houses.  In  these  lots  there  were 
fed  321  chickens  of  different  ages  in  periods  of 
twenty-one,  twenty-eight  and  thirty-five  days  each. 
The  occupants  of  the  coops  were  weighed  weekly  to 
note  the  gain.  In  eleven  of  the  coops,  containing  four 
birds  each,  gains  were  gTeater  than  in  tl'te  houses  and 
yards  containing  from  twenty  to  sixty-eight  birds  with 
which  they  were  matched.  In  the  twenty-four  other 
coops  the  gains  were  less  than  in  the  houses  and  yards 
with  which  they  were  similarly  matched.  In  five  of  the 
six  trials  gains  were  greater  in  the  houses  and  yards 
where  birds  had  partial  liberty. 

The  results  show  that  close  cooping  is  not  necessary 
in  order  to  secure  the  greatest  gains  in  chicken  fatten- 
ing and  that  the  chickens  make  greater  gains  when 
given  a  little  liberty  than  when  kept  in  close  confine- 
ment. Not  only  did  they  make  greater  gain  in  weight 
but  less  food  was  required  to  make  a  pound  of  gain. 
The  labor  involved  in  caring  for  birds  in  small  numbers 
in  coops  is  much  greater  than  in  caring  for  an  equal 
number  in  houses  and  yards.  In  all  the  trials  the 
greatest  gain  was  made  in  a  feeding  period  of  thirty- 
five  days.  Forty  chicks  confined  in  the-  coops  gained 
an  average  of  two  and  one-quarter  pounds  each,  while 
twenty  chicks  of  like  age  and  condition  fed  in  a  house 
and  yard  gained  two  and  one-half  pounds  each.  The 
trials  also  show  that  the  greatest  and  most  economical 
gains  are  made  with  3'oung  fowls.  In  twa  trials  birds 
wh^^h  wore  ninety-five  days  old  at  the  beginning  of  the 


11 U  POULTRY       FEEDIXG       AXD       FATTENING 

feeding  period,  which  continued  for  twenty-eight  days, 
gained  twice  as  miicli  as  birds  in  other  trials  which 
were  160  days  old  at  the  beginning  of  the  test,  which 
in  this  case  lasted  but  twenty-one  days. 

Tlie  main  requirements  for  economical  gain  seem 
to  be  the  partial  confinement  of  young  fowls  and  feeding 
them  twice  daily  on  a  suitable  mixture  of  ground  feed. 

Home  Metliod — I  have  fattened  for  market  this 
season  over  100  cockerels  and  have  settled  on  this  method 
as  best.  They  are  confined  two  weeks  in  a  coop  or  pen, 
given  plenty  of  room  and  air,  but  where  drafts  cannot 
strike  them.  Low  roosts  are  provided,  a  dust  bath, 
though  I  liave  never  seen  them  use  it,  and  boxes  of  grit 
and  oyster  shells.  I  make  low  benches  of  overturned 
soap  boxes,  on  wliich  I  place  their  pans  of  food  and 
milk,  that  they  may  not  readily  be  soiled  or  spilled. — 
[Clarissa  Potter,  Maine. 

To  Fatten  Poultry  Quicl'ly — The  following  direc- 
tions are  sold  by  a  concern  which  advertises  them  as  a 
method  to  fatten  poultry,  especially  turkeys,  in  "four 
or  five  days,"  Boiled  rice  is  the  standard  remedy  for 
bowel  troubles  of  turkeys,  but  as  a  regular  fattening 
ration  would  prove  expensive  compared  with  corn. 
Sometimes  slightly  damaged  rice,  rice  powder,  sago  or 
tapioca  can  be  bought  cheap.  "Set  rice  over  the  fire 
with  skimmed  milk,  only  as  much  as  will  serve  once. 
Let  it  boil  until  the  rice  is  quite  swelled  out ;  you  may 
add  a  teaspoonful  or  two  of  sugar,  but  it  will  do  well 
without.  Feed  them  three  times  a  day  in  common 
pans;  give  them  only  as  much  as  will  quite  fill  them, 
at  once."  The  addition  of  sugar,  molasses,  tallow,  etc., 
to  the  soft  feed  hastens  fattening,  but  does  not 
ordinarily  pay  unless  these  materials  can  be  bought  for 
n])out  the  price  per  poimd  of  grain.  Milk  is  of  great 
value  fed  with  soft  feed,  and  is  worth  more  fed  to 
fattening  fowls  than  to  pigs  or  calves. 


CHAPTER  X 
AT  KILLING   TIME 

TOO  many  fowls  are  still  dispatched  by  cutting  off 
the  head ;  a  method  tolerably  good  for  home  use, 
but  with  disadvantages  when  applied  to  market 
poultry.  A  fowl  killed  this  way  weighs  less,  loses 
in  appearance  and  dry  picks  a  great  deal  harder  than 
when  killed  in  expert  manner.  A  bird  killed  in  a 
bungling  or  second  rate  style  is  evidence  of  the  beginner 
or  amateur,  and  fowls  so  treated  are  quite  likely  to  be 
poorly  fattened  and  carelessly  dressed  and  packed. 
In  poultry  marketing,  as  elsewhere,  the  money  is  made 
by  those  who  learn  the  best  methods  from  start  to 
finish. 

Yet  it  should  be  noted  that  in  some  localities  and 
in  certain  markets,  particularly  those  of  small  towns, 
the  best  classes  of  poultry  are  sent  to  market  beheaded 
and  scalded  or  otherwise  mishandled  from  an  expert 
point  of  view.  It  may  not  be  wise  for  the  beginner  to 
go  contrary  to  the  best  practice  of  his  market  in  such 
details.  A  careful  examination  of  the  best  carcasses 
of  the  various  classes  of  poultry  will  show  what  the  best 
trade  expects.  Judgment  must  be  used.  The  grower 
who  is  building  up  a  choice  private  trade  may  safely 
introduce  changes  which  are  improvements,  but  which 
would  require  some  courage  and  push  to  work  success- 
fully for  shipment  to  a  lar^e  town.  In  some  places 
there  is  considerable  "missionary"  work  to  be  done,  but 
the  best  methods  will  no  doubt  prevail  everywhere  as 
they  become  more  discriminating.  At  present  the 
market  sections  which  are  most  careful  and  notional 
about  poultry  are  also  those  where  the  best  prices  may 
bo  obtained. 


■=fl 


AT     KILLIXG     TIME  113 

In  preparing  poultr}'  for  market  the  following  is 
the  usual  expert  method  employed:  The  fowl  to  bo 
killed  is  held,  with  the  back  up,  far  enough  under  the 
left  arm  so  that  the  neck  is  stretched  when  the  arm  is 
extended.  The  head  being  grasped  in  the  hand,  with 
the  forefinger  holding  the  mouth  open  on  the  under 
side,  the  knife,  preferably  one  with  a  sharp  narrow 
blade,  is  thrust  into  the  mouth  as  far  as  possible,  as 
shown  in  the  first  of  the  series  of  six  illustrations  pre- 
pared for  this  chapter  by  T.  H.  Ta3dor,  Jr.,  forme:" 
instructor  at  Ehode  Island  poultry  school.  A  quick, 
strong  cut  is  made  up  through  the  roof  of  the  mouth, 
causing  the  fowl  to  bleed  freely.  The  large  wing  and 
tail  feathers  are  the  first  ones  pulled  and  while  the 
fowl  is  bleeding,  the  picker  holding  the  bird  by  the 
wings  close  to  the  body  with  the  head  toward  him,  as 
shown  in  Figure  22.  By  this  time  free  bleeding  will 
have  stopped.  Still  holding  the  fowl  in  the  left  hand, 
it  is  struck  once  or  possibly  twice  on  the  head  with  a 
I  dub  to  stun  it  and  prevent  fluttering  in  a  great 
measure. 

The  picker  now  sits  beside  an  open  box,  the  top  of 
^rhich  comes  on  a  level  with  his  knees.  The  fowl's 
head  is  thrust  into  an  old  boot  leg  tacked  on  the  side 
of  the  box  and  is  held  there  by  the  picker's  knees; 
the  wings  being  held  between  his  knees.  The  legs  are 
lield  in  the  left  hand  while  he  picks  with  his  right: 
Ihe  breast  feathers  first,  then  the  back  and  leo:s,  finish- 
mg  with  the  small  wing  feathers,  with  the  exception  of 
the  first  joint,  which  is  left  unpicked.  While  picking 
the  fowl  is  always  held  stretched  out  and  the  feathers 
])ulled  toward  the  head.  As  they  are  pulled  they  are 
thrown  into  the  box.  The  feathers  being  removed,  the 
picker  uses  his  knife  to  pull  the  pinfeathers,  the  thumb 
of  his  right  hand  and  the  blad(  acting  as  tweezers,  as 
■^ihown  in  Figure  23. 


be   E- 


P^         PH 


AT     KILLING     TIME  115 

The  finished  fowl  is  shown  at  the  left  in  Figure 
23,  the  wings  being  folded  back  to  give  a  sym- 
metrical appearance.  Tlie  fowl  is  then  thrown  into 
clean  cold  water  to  cool.  After  remaining  about  an 
hour  in  the  water,  it  is  taken  out  and  allowed  to  drain, 
and  is  then  ready  to  pack  for.  shipment.  The  above 
method  applies  to  ducks,  geese  and  turkeys,  except  that 
with  ducks  and  geese  the  pinfeathers  are  usually 
"shaved/^  Although  called  shaving  it  is  more  truly 
cutting,  a  sharp  vegetable  knife  being  used  with  a 
quick  drawing  motion  to  cut  them  off. 

Turkeys  are  generally  hung  up  by  the  feet,  then 
stuck  and  the  wing  and  tail  feathers  pulled,  and,  after 
being  hit  on  the  head,  taken  down,  and  the  same 
methods  employed  as  with  fowls. 

A  prominent  western  poultryman  describes  a 
slightly  different  method:  "In  killing,  hang  the 
chicken  by  the  legs  by  a  slipnoose  at  a  hight  convenient 
for  the  picker,  say  four  and  one-half  feet.  Clasp  wings 
between  fingers  of  left  hand,  also  raise  head  and  hold 
between  thumb  and  third  finger  of  same  hand,  holding 
the  beak  open.     Hold  knife  in  right  hand. 

"The  stroke  of  the  knife,  if  properly  made,  enters 
the  brain  and  also  cuts  large  arteries.  The  fowl  bleeds 
freely,  closes  its  eyes  and  seems  paralyzed.  Picking 
should  begin  at  once  before  the  muscles  jerk  and  stiffen. 
Begin  with  the  breast,  carefully  if  tender,  to  avoid 
tearing.  Xext  the  tail  and  along  the  back  of  the  neck. 
Then  the  wing  butts,  neck  and  fluff.  Finally  clean  off 
the  remaining  feathers  and  hand  the  bird  to  the  pin- 
featherers,  who  are  usually  women.  By  practice  a  fowl 
may  be  picked  in  less  than  two  minutes.  It  is  impor- 
tant to  draw  most  of  the  feathers  right  after  sticking 
in  order  to  pluck  fast  and  without  tearing.  If  the 
skin  is  badly  torn  it  should  be  sewed  after  pin- 
feathering. 


116  POULTRY      TEEDIXG      AND      FATTENING 

^'Fowls  to  be  scalded  are  stuck  more  deeply  and 
the  blade  twisted  a  little  during  the  stroke,  causing 
them  to  bleed  fast  and  die  quickly.  "When  dead  hold 
in  nearly  boiling  water  one  minute,  but  keeping  out  the 
legs  and  head.  All  but  the  large  feathers  can  be  rubbed 
off  in  a  moitnent,  using  care  not  to  needlessly  rub  away 
the  skin.'' 

The  place  to  cut  is  indicated  in  Figure  24,  also  the 
approved  style  of  killing  knife,  although  a  pocket  knife 

#^ 


Fiff.   24 — KXIFE  AND  WHERE  TO   CUT 


'to 


of  small  to  medium  size  will  answer.  The  cut  is  of  course 
made  inside  the  mouth.  On  opening  the  bill  the  artery 
to  be  cut  may  be  seen  beneath  the  place  marked  a. 
Make  a  clean  cut  with  the  point  of  the  blade  so  as  to 
cut  artery  under  point  marked  h.  Figure  25  shows  the 
operation,  also  a  guide  for  the  knife,  which  is  a  con- 
venience where  large  numbers  are  killed.  The  bird 
here  is  suspended  by  the  legs,  so  thnt  the  head  just 
enters  the  guide.  The  body  is  first  slipped  into  a  sack 
made  from  old  grain  bags,  to  prevent  flapping  and 
bruising.  For  grown  fowls,  the  bag  should  be  about 
twenty  inches  long,  ten  inches  wide  at  the  larger  or 


AT     KILLING     TniE 


117 


top  opening,  gradually  getting  narrower  until  it  is  only 
five  inches  wide  at  the  bottwn  opening.  The  fowl  is 
placed  in  the  bag  head  foremost.  Owing  to  the  shape 
of  the  bag,  the  fowl  slips  down  to  that  part  o-f  the  bag 
that  fits  it  after  the  style  of  a  legging.  The  head  of 
the  fowl  comes  through  the  small  opening  at  the  bottom 
of  the  ba^. 


Fig.     2^) KILLING    BAG    AND    KNIFE    GUIDE 


Killing  Duels — On  one  of  the  largest  Long  Island 
duck  farms  the  ducks  killed  are  arranged  as  follows: 
Two  posts  are  planted  in  the  ground  about  ten  feet 
apart.  The  posts  are  either  mortised  or  a  notch  sawed 
in  them  near  the  top,  five  feet  from  the  ground.  A  rail 
is  then  spiked  in  these  notches,  and  strings  fastened 
to  the  rail  with  loops  to  hold  the  feet  of  the  ducks.  As 
many  pegs  are  driven  in  the  ground  underneath  the 


118  POULTRY      I-KKDIXG      AND      FATTENING 

rail  to  correspond  with  the  number  of  strings.  To 
these  are  fastened  a  short  piece  of  wire,  the  top  of 
which  is  bent  in  the  shape  of  a  hook,  which  is  fastened 
into  the  duck's  nose.  This  prevents  the  duck  from 
swinging  its  head  around  and  soiling  its  feathers  with 
blood.  In  dressing,  the  breast  feathers  are  removed 
as  soon  as  possible.  The  feathers  on  the  head,  a  few 
on  the  neck,  the  flights  in  the  wings,  and  the  tail 
feathers  are  left  on.  Duck  feathers  bring  about  forty 
cents  per  pound,  which  about  pays  for  the  picking. 

Foreign  Methods — In  France  there  is  a  plan  of 
sticking  followed,  which  offers  advantages  to  the  inex- 
perienced. A  special  knife  is  employed.  It  is  fitted 
with  a  long,  narrow  blade,  sharpened  on  both  sides. 
The  bird  is  taken,  its  legs  tied  together,  and  laid  upon 
its  back;  the  mouth  is  then  opened  with  the  operator's 
left  hand,  and  the  point  of  the  blade  inserted  into  the 
slit  which  will  be  found  in  the  fowl's  mouth.  One  firm, 
sharp  cut  is  made  right  along  the  skull  from  back  to 
front,  piercing  the  brain  most  effectually.  To  do  this 
properly  the  knife  must  be  forced  right  through  to  the 
back  of  the  skull,  and  the  brain  cut  along  its  entire 
length.  The  bird  should  be  hung  for  a  few  minutes 
to  allow  the  blood  to  drain  away,  when  plucking  can 
take  place.  If  the  operation  is  properly  performed 
death  is  very  speedy,  and  there  is  only  momentary  pain. 
Care  must  be  taken  to  cut  the  brain  as  described  or  the 
bird's  death  will  be  a  slow  one. 

Wringing  the  Necl- — Fowls  intended  for  export 
from  Canadian  ports  to  England  are  killed  by  wringing 
the  neck.  Much  of  the  blood  flows  into  the  parts 
around  the  head,  from  which  it  is  drawn  away  by  a 
small  cut.  The  bird  should  be  held  firmly  by  the  legs 
in  the  left  hand,  the  head  in  the  right  l)etween  two  of 
the  fingers  back  of  the  skull,  the  back  of  the  bird 
upward.     The  legs  are  then  pressed  against  tba  left 


AT     KILLING     TIME 


119 


hip,  the  head  laid  against  the  right  thigh  near  the  knee. 
Xext  the  fowl  should  be  rapidly  and  firmly  extended 
or  drawn,  and  at  the  same  time  the  head  is  suddenly 
bent  backward,  by  which  means  the  neck  is  dislocated 
just  below  the  junction  witli  the  head,  and  death 
immediately  ensues,  as  all  the  large  vessels  are  torn 
across. 

If  fowls  are  to  be  killed  by 
the  beheading  process,  a  mechan- 
ical guide,  as  shown  in  Figure 
26,  helps  in  keeping  the  bird  in 
position  and  in  guiding  the  blow. 
The  spikes  are  far  enough  apart 
to  slip  the  head  in  between.  One 
person  can  easily  hold  legs  and 
chop  head  off,  which  is  much  easier  than  striking  hit 
or  miss. 


Fig.   26 BEHEADING 

BLOCK 


CHAPTER   XI 
PREPARING    FOR    MARKET 

AFTER  raising  the  poultry  we  do  not  take  pains 
enough  in  preparing  it  for  market.  This 
chapter  will  be  devoted  to  an  account  of  the 
standard  methods  in  vogue  for  poultry  intended 
for  the  large  market  cities. 

The  birds  should  not  be  fed  for  at  least  twelve 
hours  before  killing.  Turkey's  should  be  picked  while 
warm;  for  best  markets  never  scald,  as  it  injures  the 
sale.  Pick  carefully  and  do  not  bruise  or  tear  the  skin. 
After  picking,  remove  the  head,  strip  the  blood  from 
the  neck  and  take  off  a  portion  of  the  neck  bone.  Just 
before  packing  draw  the  skin  over  the  bone,  tie  and 
trim  neatly. 

Poultry  should  be  entirely  cold  before  it  is  packed, 
as  it  is  almost  sure  to  spoil  if  any  animal  heat  remains. 
Even  if  it  should  not  injure,  its  ill  appearance  would 
probably  secure  the  condemnation  of  the  health  inspec- 
tor. Turkeys  should  be  laid  straight  and  packed  in 
boxes  lined  with  clean  paper.  Straw  should  never  be 
used,  as  it  creases  the  bodies,  and  the  chaff  gives  an 
untidy  appearance.  Nor  should  turkeys  be  wrapped  in 
paper.  They  should  be  packed  as  closely  as  possible, 
backs  upward,  legs  straight,  so  that  there  can  be  no 
possibility  of  splitting.  When  packed  in  barrels  they 
are  cramped  and  do  not  present  so  good  an  appearance 
when  taken  out.  The  best  boxes  are  of  good  quality, 
clean  and  made  to  hold  100  to  200  pounds.  Larger 
boxes  are  inconvenient  to  handle  and  more  liable  to 
injury. 

Mark  the  boxes  plainly.  The  shipper  should 
always  be  strictly  honest  and  mark  the  quality,  gross 


PKErAKIXG     I'Oli     :\LARKET  121 

Aveight  and  tare  exactly.  x\ny  attempt  at  deception  will 
be  discovered  by  the  buyer,  the  commission  house  will 
have  to  make  good  all  loss,  and  the  shipper's  mark  will 
be  subsequently  avoided  as  unreliable.  The  address  of 
the  consignees  should  be  plainly  marked  and  the  initials 
or  shipping  mark  of  the  consignor.  Full  advices  and 
invoices  are  usualh^  sent  by  mail  at  once  after  the 
goods  are  shipped. 

The  bench  shown,  Figure  27,  is  convenient  when 
picking  and  dressing  fowls.  It  is  made  from  a  com- 
mon, plain  table.  One  pair  of  legs  are  shortened  to 
give  a  moderate  slope,  side  guards  are  added  to  hold 


Fig.  37 TABLE    FOR    DRESSING    FOWLS 


'to 


the  feathers,  which  are  caught  in  the  basket.  A  hole 
is  made  for  the  neck  of  the  fowl  to  drip  through  into 
the  dish  below. 

For  most  markets,  the  intestines  or  crop  should 
not  be  '^drawn.^'  For  scalding  poultry,  the  water 
should  be  as  near  boiling  point  as  possible,  without 
actually  boiling.  The  bird  being  held  by  the  head  and 
legs,  should  be  immersed  and  lifted  up  and  down  in 
the  water  three  times ;  this  makes  picking  easy.  When 
the  head  is  immersed  it  turns  the  color  of  the  comb 
and  gives  the  eyes  a  shrunken  appearance,  wliich  often 
leads  buyers  to  think  the  fowl  has  1)een  sick.  The 
feathers  should  then  be  at  once  removed,  pinfeathers 
and  all,  very  cleanly  and  without  breaking  the  skin. 


122  PULLTKV       I'EEDING       AND       PATTENING 

It  t^liould  next  be  ^'plumped''  by  being  clipped  about 
ten  seconds  in  water  nearly  or  quite  boiling  hot,  and 
then  at  once  into  cold  water  fifteen  to  twenty  minutes. 
Great  care  should  be  taken  to  avoid  bruising  or  cutting 
the  bones  or  flesh.  It  should  be  entirely  cold  and  dry 
before  packing,  but  not  frozen.  This  is  a  matter  of 
importance,  for  if  packed  with  the  animal  heat  in  it, 
it  will  be  sure  to  spoil.  After  scalding  ducks  and  geese, 
wrap  them  in  a  cloth  for  about  two  minutes,  when  the 
down  will  roll  off  with  the  feathers.  Guard  against 
overscalding,  as  this  will  cause  the  skin  to  loosen  and 
rub  off.  Underscalding  is  also  undesirable,  as  the  fowls 
are  liable  to  become  slippery  during  shipment. 

Western  Methods  of  Dressing — Kill  by  bleeding 
in  the  mouth  or  opening  the  veins  in  the  neck;  hang 
by  the  feet  until  properly  bled;  head  and  feet  should 
be  left  on,  and  the  intestines  and  crop  should  not  bo 
drawn.  For  scalding  poultry,  the  water  should  be  as 
near  the  boiling  point  as  possible  without  actually 
boiling;- pick  the  legs  dry  before  scalding;  hold  by  the 
head  and  legs  and  immerse  and  lift  up  and  down  three 
times ;  if  the  head  is  immersed  it  turns  the  color  of  the 
comb  and  gives  the  e3'es  a  shrunken  appearance,  which 
leads  buyers  to  think  the  fowl  has  been  sick.  The 
feathers  and  pinfeathers  should  be  removed  imme- 
diately, very  cleanly,  and  without  breaking  the  skin; 
then  "plump''  by  dipping  ten  seconds  in  water  nearly 
or  quite  boiling  hot,  and  then  immediately  into  cold 
water;  hang  in  a  cool  place  until  the  animal  heat  is 
entirely  out;  it  should  be  entirely  cold,  but  not  frozen, 
before  being  packed. 

Dry-picked  chickens  and  turkeys  sell  best,  and  we 
advise  this  way  of  dressing,  as  they  sell  better  to 
shippers;  scalded  chickens  and  turkeys  generally  are 
sold  to  the  local  trade.  To  dry-pick  turkeys  and 
chickens  properly,  the  work  should  be  done  while  the 


PREPARING     POR     MARKET 


123 


bird  is  bleeding;  do  not  wait  and  let  the  bodies  get 
cold;  dry-picking  is  more  easil,y  done  while  the  bodies 
are   warm.     Be   careful   and   do   not   break    and   tear 

the  skin. 

Pack  in  boxes  or  barrels ;  boxes  holding  100  to  200 
pounds  are  preferable,  and  pack  snugly ;  straighten  out 
the  body  and  legs  so  that  they  will  not  arrive  very 
much  bent  and  twisted  out  of  shape ;  fill  the  package 
as  full  as  possible,  to  prevent  shuffling  about  on  the  way. 
An  ideal  package  of  dressed  poultry  is  shown  in  Figure 


Yig,  28— DRESSED  POULTRY  PACKED  IN  THE  BEST  STYLE 


28.  Mark  kind  and  weight  and  shipping  directions 
neatly  and  plainly  on  the  cover.  Barrels  answer  better 
for  chickens  and  ducks  than  for  turkeys  or  geese..  When 
convenient,  avoid  putting  more  than  one  kind  of  fowls 
in  a  package.  Endeavor  to  market  all  old  and  heavy 
cocks  before  January  1,  as  after  the  holidays  the  demand 
is  for  small,  round,  fat  hen  turkeys  only,  old  toms  being 
sold  at  a  discount  to  canners. 

For  ^eese  and  ducks,  the  water  for  scalding  should 
be  the  same  temperature  as  for  other  kinds  of  poultry, 
but  it  requires  more  time  for  it  to  penetrate  and  loosen 


124  rOULTKY       FEEDING      AXD       FATTEXIXG 

the  feathers.  It  is  a  good  plan  after  scalding  to  wrap 
them  in  a  blanket,  providing  they  are  not  left  long 
enough  to  partially  cook  the  flesh.  Another  method, 
and  no  doubt  the  best  for  loosening  feathers,  is  to 
steam  them,  and,  whenever  proper  facilities  are  at  hand, 
we  advise  this  process.  It  is  poor  policy  to  undertake 
to  save  the  feathers  dry  by  picking  them  alive  just 
before  the  killing,  as  it  causes  the  skin  to  become  very 
much  inflamed  and  greatly  injures  the  sale. 

Do  not  pick  the  feathers  off  the  head,  and  it  is  well 
to  leave  them  on  the  neck  close  to  the  head  for  a  space 
of  two  or  three  inches.  The  feet  should  not  be  skinned, 
nor  the  bodies  singed  for  the  purpose  of  removing  any 
down  or  hair,  as  the  heat  from  the  flame  will  cause 
them  to  look  oily  and  bad.  The  process  of  plumping 
and  cooling  is  the  same  as  with  turkeys  and  chickens. 
There  is  no  kind  of  poultry  harder  to  sell  at  satisfactory 
prices  than  jooor,  slovenly  dressed  geese  and  ducks,  and 
those  who  send  in  such  must  not  be  disappointed  at  low 
prices.  Xo  poultry  of  any  kind  sent  to  the  Chicago 
market  sliould  be  drawn. 

Boston  Produce  Exchange  Instructions — In  fatten- 
ing for  the  markets,  remember  that  you  will  not  only 
get  pay  for  every  pound  your  j^oultry  gains,  but  by 
improving  the  quality  j^ou  gain  from  one-fourth  to 
one-half  in  price  on  the  whole.  This  improved  quality 
is  more  likely  to  be  gained  by  feeding  corn  than  other- 
wise. Give  them  all  they  will  eat,  and  your  poultry 
will  be  more  yellow  and  better  than  that  fattened  on 
any  other  grain. 

Keep  stock  from  food  for  twenty-four  hours  before 
killing;  because  food  in  the  crop  injures  the  appearance, 
is  liable  to  sour,  and  consumers  object  to  paying  for  this 
worse-than-useless  weight.  All  poultry,  but  more  espe- 
cially turkeys,  should  be  killed  by  bleeding  from  the 
neck,  and  picked  immediately,  while  the  body  is  warm. 


PREPARING     FOR     MARKET  135 

Xo  strangled,  scalded,  or  wet-picked  poultry  will  sell 
for  more  than  half  price.  Always  strip  the  blood  out 
of  the  neck  as  soon  as  the  head  is  taken  off.  The  skin 
should  then  be  peeled  back  a  little  and  the  neck  bone 
rem'oved  in  the  usual  way.  Just  before  packing,  draw 
the  skin  over  the  end  of  the  bone  remaining,  and  tic 
and  trim  neatly.  The  wing  and  tail  feathers  must  be 
pulled  out  clean,  and  the  intestines  drawn  through  as 
small  an  incision  as  possible. 

Be  sure  that  poultry  retains  none  of  the  animal  heat 
when  it  is  packed.     It  should  be  cold,  but  not  frozen. 
Sort  very  carefully  and  have  "Xo.  1"  stock  of  uniform 
quality.     Each   quality   should  be   in   a   separate  box, 
containing  not  more  than  200  pounds,  as  greater  bulk 
is  more  inconvenient  to  handle  and  more  liable  to  get 
damaged.     Never  wrap  poultry  in  paper   or  pack  in 
straw.     Line  the  boxes  with  clean  paper,  pack  closely, 
back  upward  and  legs  out  straight.     Before  the  cover 
is  nailed  down,  see  that  there  is  no  possibility  of  the 
contents  shifting  about.     In  shipping,  mark  kind  and 
gross  weight  on  the  cover.     The  name  or  shipping  mark 
of  the  shipper  should  appear  thereon,  as  well  as  the 
address  of  the  firm  to  which  the  package  is  sent.     An 
invoice  and  full  advices  mailed  as  soon  as  the  shipment 
is  made  will  often  save  time  and  annoyance  to  both 
shipper  and  dealer. 

A  Chicago  Dealers  Directions— In.  the  first  place, 
poultry  should  be  well  fed  and  well  watered,  and  then 
kept  from  eighteen  to  twenty-four  hours  without  food 
before  killing.  Stock  dresses  out  brighter  when  well 
watered  and  adds  to  the  appearance.  Full  crops  injure 
the  appearance  and  are  liable  to  sour,  and  when  this 
does  occur  correspondingly  lower  prices  must  be 
accepted  than  obtainable  for  choice  stock.  Never  kill 
poultry  by  wringing  the  neck.  To  dress  chickens,  kill 
by  bleeding  in  the  mouth  or  opening  the  veins  of  the 


12G  roULTKY       FKEDIXO       AND       FATTEXIXG 

nock;  liang  hy  the  feet  until  properly  bled.  Leave 
head  and  feet  on  and  do  not  remove  intestines  nor  crop. 
Scalded  chickens  sell  best  to  home  trade,  and  dry-picked 
best  to  shippers,  so  that  either  manner  of  dressing  will 
do  if  properly  executed.  For  scalding  chickens  the 
water  should  be  as  near  the  boiling  point  as  possible 
without  boiling;  pick  the  legs  dry  before  scalding;  hold 
by  the  head  and  legs  and  immerse  and  lift  up  and  down 
three  times;  if  the  head  is  immersed  it  turns  the  color 
of  the  comb  and  gives  the  eyes  a  shrunken  appearance, 
which  leads  buyers  to  think  the  fowl  has  been  sick;  the 
feathers  and  pinfeathers  should  then  be  removed  imme- 
diately very  cleanh^,  and  without  breaking  the  skin; 
then  "plump"  by  dipping  ten  seconds  in  water  nearly 
or  quite  boiling  hot,  and  then  immediately  into  cold 
water;  hang  in  a  cool  place  until  the  animal  heat  is 
entirely  out  of  the  body.  To  dry  pick  chickens  prop- 
erly, the  work  should  be  done  while  the  chickens  are 
bleeding;  do  not  wait  and  let  the  bodies  get  cold.  Dry 
picking  is  much  more  easily  done  while  the  bodies  are 
warm.     Be  careful  and  do  not  break  and  tear  the  skin. 

Pacl-ing  and  Shipping — Before  packing  and  ship- 
ping, poultry  should  be  thoroughly  dry  and  cold,  but 
not  frozen;  the  animal  heat  should  be  entirely  out  of 
the  body;  pack  in  boxes  or  barrels;  boxes  holding  100 
to  200  pounds  are  preferable,  and  pack  snugly; 
straighten  out  the  body  and  legs,  so  that  they  will  not 
arrive  very  much  bent  and  twisted  out  of  shape;  fill 
the  packages  as  full  as  possible  to  prevent  moving  about 
on  the  way ;  barrels  answer  better  for  chickens  and  ducks 
than  for  turkeys  or  geese;  when  convenient,  avoid 
putting  more  than  one  kind  in  a  package,  mark  kind 
and  weight  of  each  description  on  the  package  and  mark 
shipping  directions  plainly  on  the  cover. 

Icing  Poultry  for  Shipment — On  this  subject  a 
Chicago  commission  dealer  writes:     "There  is  but  one 


PREPARIXG     FOR     MARKET  127 

absolutely  successful  way  to  sliip  iced  poultry,  and  that 
is  in  crushed  ice.  It  should  be  shipped  in  barrels  that 
are  strong,  with  holes  in  the  bottom.  First  place  a 
layer  of  excelsior  on  the  bottom  of  the  barrel,  then  a 
layer  of  crushed  ice.  Lay  the  fowls  neatly  together 
and  then  cover  them  with  another  layer  of  crushed  ice. 
Keep  this  up  until  the  barrel  is  filled.  When  the  top 
is  reached,  cover  the  last  layer  of  fowls  with  an  inch  and 
a  half  of  ice.  The  finer  it  is  crushed  the  better.  Place 
over  this  some  excelsior,  and  over  the  top  burlap.  Poul- 
try shipped  in  this  way  will  never  bruise,  and  arrives  in 
the  market  in  excellent  condition.  In  several  instances 
I  have  instructed  my  shippers  to  da  this  and  once  sent 
a  grate  bar  to  a  heavy  shipper  and  instructed  him  to 
pound  his  ice  through  this  bar,  so  as  to  crush  it.  Ice 
crushed  as  is  done  for  barrooms  is  the  kind  to  use  in 
shipping  dressed  poultry.  The  crushed  ice  seems  to 
form  a  crust  in  each  layer  and  keeps  the  poultry  as  sweet 
and  nice  as  when  first  killed.  All  who  follow  these 
directions  will  have  no  trouble  with  iced  poultry .'' 

Shrinkage — The  feathers  weigh  three  to  four 
ounces.  If  the  fowls  are  drawn  and  cleaned  as  for  a 
choice  trade,  the  feathers,  blood,  intestines,  etc., 
removed  will  weigh  seven  to  twelve  ounces  according 
to  method  of  preparation  and  size  of  fowl.  In  small 
broilers  the  shrinkage  may  be  as  little  as  one-fourth 
pound. 

Shipping  Alive — Among  those  who  have  only 
small  lots  of  poultry  to  ship  or  who  have  had  little 
practice  in  killing  and  dressing  for  market,  the  practice 
is  increasing  of  shipping  alive.  Some  commission  men 
make  a  specialty  of  handling  live  poultry.  Instructions 
and  advice  should  be  written  for  in  advance.  Live 
fowls  are  usually  in  demand  in  summer  and  during 
certain  Jewish  holidaj^s.  Great  numbers  of  broilers 
are  shipped  alive  in  spring  and  summer.     All  live  fowls 


128  POULTRY       FEEDIXG       AXD       FATTEXIXG 

are  shipped  b}^  express,  usually  in  slatted  coops  with 
covered  bottom.  A  reasonable  amount  of  space  should 
be  allowed  in  the  crate.  Overcrowded  fowls  suffer  and 
shrink  in  weight. 

Coops  for  live  shipments  should  be  forty-eight 
inches  long,  thirty  inches  wide,  twelve  inches  high  for 
chickens  and  ducks,  and  fifteen  inches  high  for  turkeys 
and  geese.  Use  lumber  as  follows :  Use  two  by  two  for 
corner  posts  or  one  by  two  will  answer.  If  you  cannot 
get  them,  get  one  by  four  and  rip  them  in  two.  Cut  six 
pieces  thirty  inches  long,  and  nine  pieces  twelve  or 
fifteen  inches  long,  for  each  coop;  nail  the  short  pieces 
one  at  each  end ;  one  in  the  center  of  the  long  ones  (use 


Fig.  29 — FOWL    DRESSED    FOR    FAMILY    TRADE 

tenpenny  wrought  nails).  Make  three  of  these  frames, 
one  for  each  end  and  the  center.  For  the  bottom  use 
one-half-inch  boards  or  lath,  make  the  bottom  tight 
(use  sixpenny  nails)  ;  use  one-half  by  two-inch  strips  of 
lath  for  sides,  ends  and  top ;  put  them  one  and  one-half 
inches  apart;  the  width  of  lath  is  about  right.  Leave 
two  laths  loose  on  top  in  center,  or  make  a  door  of  them 
to  open,  in  order  to  put  poultry  in  and  take  it  out; 
now  nail  a  lath  around  the  coops,  each  end  and  the 
center  (outside  the  three  frames  made  first).  This  will 
keep  the  lath  from  coming  off  and  make  the  coops 
stronger.     For  broilers  the  coops  can  be  made  ten  inches 


PKEPARING    FOR    MARKET 


129 


high  and  twenty-four  inches  wide.     This  will  make  a 
good,  strong,  light  coop. 

Family  Poultry — For  choice  private  trade,  prepare 
in  an  especially  attractive  manner,  as  in  the  illustra- 
tion, Figure  29,  in  convenient  shape  for  hoiling  or 
roasting.  Pick  the  birds  carefully,  wipe  off  any  dis- 
coloration with  a  moist  cloth,  singe  carefully  and 
remove  any  remaining  pinfeathers,  and  the  bird  is 
ready  for  cooking.  Customers  appreciate  getting  poul- 
try in  just  this  shape.     The  feet  can  be  left  on,  but 


12   FOWLS 
WEI6HlrtO«_ ,t.b3.. 


GROSS tiS. 

TAPe_ 

.nei.i, ^... 


Fig.  30 CANADIAN    SHIPPING    BOX 


when  customers  have  confidence  in  tlie  one  furnishing 
them  poultry,  this  is  not  necessary. 

In  exporting  chicJcens  for  England,  according  to 
the  advice  of  A.  S.  Baker,  an  English  expert,  select  those 
weighing  from  five  and  one-half  to  six  pounds  eax^h. 
They  should  have  the  head  left  on,  a  fringe  of  feathers 
left  around  the  head,  and  the  tail  and  wing  feathers 
should  be  left  on.  They  should  be  picked  dry,  never 
drawn,  and  starved  for  twenty-four  hours  before  killing. 
They  should  be   packed  in  boxes   holding  one   dozen 


130  POULTRY      PEEDIXG       AXD       FATTENING 

chickens,  vriih  a  partition  in  the  center,  six  fowls  on  a 
Bide,  packed  heads  and  tails.  The  Dorking  is  the 
standard  fowl  of  Knghmd.  Canadian  chickens  weighing 
five  and  one-half  to  six  pounds  each  bring  eighty  cents 
apiece,  while  those  from  the  United  States,  which  are 
much  smaller  and  not  speciall}^  fattened,  bring  but 
fifty-two  to  fift^'-four  cents.     (See  Figure  30.) 

Killing  and  Dressing  Squahs — The  squabs  should 
be  killed  before  they  get  so  large  that  they  leave  the 
nests.  The  standard  size  is  eight  pounds  to  the  dozen. 
"With  properly  kept  birds  this  weight  is  usually  attained 
in  four  weeks  with  straight  Homers,  and  five  weeks 
with  Dragoons,  says  "William  E.  Eice  in  Farmers'  Bul- 
letin Xo.  177  of  the  United  States  department  of 
agriculture.  The  squabs  should  be  caught  in  the 
morning  before  the  feeding  and  watering  is  done.  This 
assures  empty  crops.  Judgment  must  be  used  in  select- 
ing the  squabs,  or  some  which  are  too  light  may  be 
taken,  causing  a  cut  in  the  price.  As  caught,  the 
squabs  should  be  placed  in  pigeon  hampers  and  taken 
to  the  killing  room,  which  in  cool  weather  should  be 
heated  to  be  made  comfortable  for  the  picker.  Place 
the  hampers  within  easy  reach  of  the  chair  in  which  the 
picker  is  to  sit,  and  have  a  basin  of  water  close  by. 
Directty  in  front  of  the  picker,  suspend  in  a  horizontal 
position  a  ring  of  wood  or  iron,  about  a  foot  in  diameter, 
and  hang  from  the  ring  four  cords  eight  inches  long, 
terminating  in  slipnooses. 

Killing  the  Squahs — Catch  a  squab  from  the  ham- 
per, and  suspend  it  by  passing  one  of  the  nooses  around 
the  legs,  tail  and  wings,  letting  about  two  inches  of  tho 
ends  of  the  wings  project  beyond  the  noose,  and  tighten 
it  well.  Insert  the  killing  knife  (sold  for  such  pu^-- 
poses)  well  into  the  back  of  the  mouth  and  draw  it 
forward,  cutting  clear  into  the  brain.  Hang  a  weighted 
wire  in  the  bill  and  let  the  bird  bleed.     The  wire  is  six 


PREPARING     FOR     MARKET  131 

inches  long,  hooked  and  pointed  at  the  upper  end,  and 
weighted  at  the  lower  end  with  a  piece  of  lead  the  size 
of  a  hulled  walnut.  Four  birds  are  killed  in  turn,  and 
picking  begins  on  N'o.  1  as  soon  as  dead,  Novices  may 
kill  and  pick  but  one  at  a  time  until  some  speed  is 
gained,  but  an  expert  picker  will  kill  four  and  "rough 
pick"  them  all  before  they  get  too  cold. 

Dressing  the  Squabs — Allow  the  birds  to  remain 
suspended,  but  release  the  wings,  grasping  them  both 
in  the  left  hand  back  of  the  bird.  Moisten  the  thumb 
and  fingers  of  the  right  hand  in  the  pan  of  water,  and 
begin  picking  the  neck,  leaving  about  three-quarters  of 
an'^inch  next  the  head  impicked.  Still  hold  the  wings 
m  the  left  hand  until  the  entire  front  of  the  hird,  leg? 
included,  is  picked.  Then,  bringing  the  wings  in  front 
of  the  bird,  hold  in  the  left  hand  as  before,  and  remove 
the  balance  of  feathers  from  the  body.  Now,  with 
wings  still  in  left  hand,  pluck  quills  from  both  wings 
at  once,  and  also  the  larger  feathers,  and  then  finish 
each  wing  separately.  This  completes  the  ''rough 
picking,"  after  which  they  must  be  pinfeathered,  in 
which  operation  a  small  knife  is  helpful.  An  expert 
picker,  when  he  has  finished  the  third  bird,  kills  three 
more  so  that  they  may  be  bleeding  while  he  is  at  work 
with  the  fourth.  As  soon  as  finished  each  squab  is 
dropped  into  a  tub  of  cold  water  to  drive  out  the  animal 
heat  and  make  the  birds  more  firm  and  plump.  An 
expert  picker  can  kill  and  ''rough  pick"  twenty  squabs 
an  hour  or  completely  dress  twelve  to  fifteen  in  the 
same  time. 

It  pays  well  to  use  care  in  picking  not  to  tear  tlie 
skin  or  leave  any  feathers  on  the  birds.  Well-fattened 
birds  are  seldom  torn  by  the  expert  picker.  The 
weighted  wire  is  of  advantage  in  slightly  stretching  the 
skin  and  making  it  less  liable  to  tear.  When  all  the 
squabs  are  dressed,  the  feet  and  mouths  must  be  thor- 


13;3         rouLTHY     feedixg     axd     fattening 

oug-hly  -u-asliofl  of  all  filth  and  blood;  they  should  be 
placed  again  for  a  lew  minutes  in  clean  cold  water,  and 
then  hung  on  a  drying  rack  for  five  minutes  to  drain. 

Marl-ctincj — If  the  squalls  are  sold  to  a  local  dealer, 
they  may  be  taken  from  the  rack  at  once,  placed  in  a 
suitable  basket,  and  delivered  immediately.  If  they 
are  to  be  expressed  to  a  distant  market,  packing  in  ice 
is  necessar}^,  and  a  box  or  barrel  must  be  used.  Place 
a  layer  of  cracked  ice  at  the  bottom,  alternate  with 
layers  of  birds  and  ice,  and  finish  with  a  generous  top- 
ping of  ice.  Only  in  quite  cold  weather  is  it  safe  to 
omit  ice.  Place  a  secure  covering  on  the  package  and 
mark  full  directions  to  whom  shipped,  as  well  as  your 
own  address,  and  the  number  of  birds. 

S quads  for  Marl'et — If  squabs  are  killed  before 
they  can  fl}^  the  flesh  is  white,  but  after  that  it  darkens, 
reducing  the  value  from  one  to  two  dollars  per  dozen. 
Those  raising  them  for  market  should  keep  the  old  ones 
well  supplied  with  food  so  that  the  young  may  become 
13lump  and  fat.  P.  H.  Jacobs  advises:  Always  dry 
pick  them,  and  remove  all  of  the  down.  Leave  on  the 
heads,  and  leave  the  entrails  in.  Have  them  thoroughly 
cooled  before  packing,  then  ship  by  express.  The  rules 
for  picking  and  shipping  squabs  apply  to  broilers. 
Leave  all  the  feathers  on  the  neck  and  the  large  onea 
on  the  wings  and  tail.  Slips  are  dressed  the  same  way. 
They  are  readily  selected  from  capons  by  the  growth 
of  their  combs  and  swelling  of  the  spurs.  These 
usually  sell  for  several  cents  per  pound  less  than  the 
ranons. 


CHAPTER   XII 
MARKETING   TURKEYS  AND   WATERFOWL 

THA^^KSGIYI^^G  turkevs  brh.g  good  money  to 
those  who  can  raise  and  put  them  on  the  market 
at  that  season.  They  must  be  fat,  well  matured 
and  of  good  size  to  bring  top  prices,  which  means 
early  hatching  in  spring  and  good  attention  in  rearing. 
Turkeys  are  birds  of  a  roving  disposition  and  will  not 
bear  confinement  well.  They  should  be  fed  at  least 
once,  and;  better,  twice  a  day  all  through  the  summer 
and  fall.  The  night  feed  may  be  old  corn  and  the 
morning  ration  a  mash  composed  of  equal  parts  corn 
meal,  ground  oats  and  wheat  middlings,  mixed  up  with 
skimmilk.  Farmers  do  not  generally  appreciate  the 
value  of  milk  for  fattening  poultry.  For  two  weeks 
before  killing  time  the  turke3's  can  be  confined  if  neces- 
sary, in  a  yard  or  pen,  and  fed  all  they  will  eat  of  the 
above  feeds,  but  it  will  not  do  to  shut  them  up  longer 
than  this,  or  they  will  lose  instead  of  gain  in  flesh. 

Put  tlieni  in  a  shed  not  too  light,  but  with  an  open 
front  to  admit  air.  Provide  broad,  low  perches,  ample 
feed  troughs  and  dishes  for  water  and  milk.  Corn  meal, 
bran,  cooked  potatoes,  oats  and  buckwheat  are  good 
fatteners :  also  a  little  cheap  tallow  or  suet  in  the  soft 
food.  They  cannot  digest  their  food  properly  without 
plenty  of  gravel  or  grit.  Feed  only  what  food  they  will 
eat  up  clean.  Before  killing  for  market  keep  feed  away 
from  them  for  twenty-four  to  thirty-six  hours,  so  that 
the  crop  and  intestines  will  be  well  emptied.  Hang 
up  by  the  legs  and  kill  by  bleeding  through  the  mouth. 
Plunge  the  knife  through  the  roof  of  the  moutli  into 
the  brain,  when  the  bird  will  at  once  relax  and  not 
flutter.     Have  a  barrel  near  by  and  strip  off  the  feathers 


TS4:  POULTKY      PEEDIXG      AND       FATTEl^ING 

at  once.  By  being  fairly  quick  one  can  pick  a  turkey 
clean  before  it  has  stopped  bleeding  and  the  feathers 
have  had  a  chance  to  set.  The  tail  and  large  wing 
feathers  of  the  first  joint  are  often  left  on,  but  if  not 
they  should  be  pulled  carefully,  one  at  a  time,  after 
the  rest  have  been  picked.  Where  the  turkey  is  wanted 
for  the  family  it  may  be  scalded  before  picking,  but  for 
the  market  should  be  picked  dry.  Let  hang  to  cool 
thoroughly  before  packing. 

A  Chicago  commission  dealer,  who  handles  large 
quantities  of  poultry,  advises  the  same  methods  as  given 
on  Page  125  for  preparing  chickens,  but  always  dry  pick 
turkey's.  Dressed  turkej^s,  when  dry  picked,  always  sell 
best  and  command  better  prices  than  scalded  lots,  as 
the  appearance  is  brighter  and  more  attractive. 
Endeavor  to  market  all  old  and  heavy  gobblers  before 
January  1,  as  after  the  holidays  the  demand  is  for  small 
fat  hen  turkeys  only,  old  toms  being  sold  at  a  discount 
to  canners. 

A  turkey  producer  and  shipper  of  long  experience, 
J.  M.  Cooper  of  Schenectady  count}^  IS".  Y.,  thus 
summarizes  the  approved  methods  of  finishing  and 
preparing  for  market:  "A  good  appearance  with  the 
turkey  is  essential  for  top  prices.  After  the  year's  care 
of  raising  and  feeding,  do  not  allow  from  one-half  to 
several  cents  per  pound  to  be  rubbed  off  because  of 
hasty,  careless  or  improper  dressing  or  packing.  This 
feature  should  receive  as  much  attention  as  do  the  3'oung 
poults  in  early  spring.  A  well-picked,  clean,  untorn 
turkey,  delivered  in  sound  and  attractive  condition,  will 
sell  for  much  more  than  one  bruised,  torn  and  poorly 
cleaned.  This  finishing  work  takes  l)ut  little  time  or 
money,  5^et  it  pays  handsomely.  I  feed  scalded  corn 
meal  twice  a  day  and  whole  corn  at  night  for  three 
weeks  before  killing.  T  have  never  shipped  turkeys  to 
market,  as  there  is  a  good  demand  for  tliem  in  the  city 


MAKKETING     TUKKEYS     AND     WATERFOWL  135 

near  by.  In  dressing,  I  alwaj^s  scald ;  it  is  less  work  and 
they  sell  better  in  our  markets.  When  turkeys  are 
shipped  to  market,  dry  picking  is  best. 

"If  turkeys  are  mature  enough  to  kill  by  Thanks- 
fiving,  I  kill  half  of  the  flock  two  days  before  the 
l.oliday  and  save  the  rest  until  Christmas.  If  they  did 
not  begin  to  lay  early,  they  will  not  be  mature  enough 
to  fatten  and  dress  well  by  that  time;  we  are  then 
obliged  to  wait  until  Christmas  and  New  Year's.  Small 
lots  of  medium  turkeys  will  sell  readily  here  at  any 
time  late  in  the  fall,  but  large  ones  are  not  wanted 
except  at  holidays.  Turkeys  dressed  in  the  very  best 
shape  to  suit  the  market  to  which  they  are  taken  will 
sell  for  one-fourth  more  per  pound  than  just  as  good 
ones  carelessly  dressed.  Late,  thin  turkeys  with  pin- 
feathers  and  broken  skin  are  a  nuisance  in  a  market 
and  a  loss  to  raiser,  dealer  and  consumer.  After  I  take 
prime  dressed  turkeys  to  a  market  I  find  it  easy  to  sell 
there  afterward  at  a  little  above  market  price.  Most 
people  are  too  careless  to  learn  to  dress  turkeys  nicely, 
or  fail  to  see  the  importance  of  it. 

"I  confine  them  at  least  twelve  hours  without  food 
before  killing.  A  strong  person  should  hold  them  by 
the  wings  near  the  body,  another  person  cut  the  arteries 
on  each  side  of  the  neck  close  to  the  head,  with  a  knife. 
Hold  the  bird  as  long  as  it  struggles;  if  not  held  they 
will  bruise  themselves.  I  kill  two  turkeys  for  every 
picker  before  I  scald,  and  dress  those  before  I  kill  any 
more.  A  turkey  should  be  dressed  in  fifteen  minutes. 
I  have  a  six  or  eight-pail  boiler  on  the  stove,  with  four 
pails  of  boiling  water  and  a  barrel  full  of  cold  water 
ready,  put  nearly  one  pail  of  cold  water  into  the  four 
pails  of  boiling  water  on  the  stove,  have  a  moderate 
fire;  the  one  pail  of  cold  water  will  reduce  the  four 
pails  down  to  scalding  heat,  which  is  hot  enough.  Take 
the  turkey  by  the  legs,  push  it  entirely  under  the  hot 


136  POULTRY       FEEDING       AND       FATTENING 

water  with  stub  of  an  old  broom,  raise  gently  up  and 
down  to  work  the  water  under  the  feathers,  and  count 
ten.  Then  take  it  completely  out  of  water  to  air  it, 
count  ten  again,  then  plunge  in  water  again  and  work 
up  and  down  a  little,  at  the  same  time  counting  thirty, 
then  take  out  and  plunge  immediately  into  the  barrel 
of  cold  water,  and  it  is  ready  to  pick. 

"Pickers  throw  old  bags  or  pieces  of  carpet  on 
their  laps  or  hang  the  turkeys  up  to  pick.  I  am  very 
careful  not  to  allow  them  to  be  dragged  around  over 
anything,  or  else  the  skin  will  be  broken  and  make  dark 
spots  when  cold.  If  the  large  feathers  on  the  tips  of 
wings  and  tail  stick,  dip  those  parts  in  hot  water  again. 
If  the  bird  are  not  scalded  enough,  count  slower  when 
dipping;  if  scalded  too  much,  count  faster.  If  they  are 
not  dipped  in  cold  water  immediately  after  being 
scalded,  the  heat  in  the  feather?  will  cook  the  fat  and 
tender  parts  so  much  that  they  will  certainly  be  torn  in 
picking.  Even  when  dipped  in  cold  water  care  must 
be  taken,  as  the  damage  does  not  show  much  until  they 
are  cold.  Dipping  in  cold  water  shrinks  the  skin  so 
that  they  look  plump  and  pick  better.  Scalding  partly 
cooks  the  skin  and  gives  them  a  rich  golden  color, 
while  a  dry-picked  turkey  skin  is  blue  and  wrinkled. 

'^hen  picked,  open  a  small  hole  to  take  out  the 
vent  and  intestines.  Loosen  the  fat  inside  about  the 
vent  and  roll  it  out  so  as  to  fill  the  hole  nicely.  Leave 
the  crop  in,  as  it  is  empty.  Lay  on  a  table  or  board 
on  their  backs,  close  together,  so  as  to  keep  the  wings 
close  to  the  body,  with  head  hanging  down,  and  continue 
the  killing.  I  take  them  to  market  one  day  before  the 
holiday,  cut  the  heads  off  and  make  the  load  up  so  as 
to  show  off  to  the  best  advantage,  and  sell  to  the  fancy 
trade  myself.  If  they  are  prime  and  fancy,  I  can  set 
my  o"wn  price  and  get  it.  My  young  turkeys  bring 
from  $2.50  to  $3  each,  two-year-old  gobblers  from  $5 


MARKETING     TURKEYS     AND     WATERFOWL 


137 


to  $6.  I  would  take  iny  turkeys  fifty  miles  to  a  large 
city  and  market  them  myself  rather  than  to  ship  to 
commission  merchants.  From  what  I  have  seen  in  our 
markets,  shipped  poultry  brings  low  prices  in  competi- 
tion with  choice  dressed  native  stock.  Wealthy  people 
do  not  like  shipped  poultry  and  are  willing  to  pay 
fancy  prices.^'  The  illustration,  Figure  31,  a  box  of 
American  poultry,  shows  how  to  box  and  ship  turkeys. 


20  No.  1 
Turks. 

250 

40 

210 

Choice 
Chicks. 

125 
20 

105 

ADDRESS  or  COMMISSION 
MERCHANT. 

ADDRESS  OF  COMMISSION 
MERCHANT. 

T 

jj^<\TMWV.S. 

-^\ 

urkey     ii^W 

W^^Pl 

Chicken 

Boxes       Ijl'^  1^ 

'^  P^^fpffl 

Boxes 

^4X22      ||V| 

ni^^ 

8x16 

'-'  M 

^^^ 

X22 

Fig.     31 TURKEYS     PACKED    AND    MARKED 


The  movement  and  range  of  prices  in  former 
years  are  shown  in  the  following  table,  compiled  by  the 
New  York  Produce  Eeview,  covering  the  receipts  in 
packages  for  Thanksgiving  week  with  quotations  for 
best  grade  western  turkeys ;  also  the  closing  prices  on 
the  Wednesday  preceding  the  national  holiday  in  the 
years  named. 


138  POULTHY       FEEDING       AND       EATTENIITG 

TURKEYS    THANKSGIVING    WEEK    AT    NEW    YORK 

, Prices 

Receipts,  Thanksgiving  CloBcfl 

packages  week  "Wednesdny 

1903  30.C01  16  f5;22    c  17    @20VLc 

1902  24,913  15  @18  15y2@17 

1901  34,147  11  @13                               11@12V4 

1900  40.968  8  @12  9    @10 

1899  29,680  lOVz*?^!'^  10    @11 

1898  29,141  11V2@12V^  10    @lli^ 

1897  —  10  @13                                  — 

1896  30,603  11  @14i^  12    @13 

1895  29,363  9  @12  liy2@12 

1894  33,602  8  @10  8    (&  9 

1893  28,233  9  @13  9    @10 

1892  26,972  13  @16  13    @14 

1891  24,358  13  @16  14    (f/,15 

1890  21,007  12  @16  15    @16 

1889  26,395  10  @13  12    @13 

1888  31,554  10  @14  10    @11 

English  Alethods — The  methods  of  English  turkey 
fatteners,  as  described  by  E.  li.  Brown,  include  several 
good  suggestions:  About  five  weeks  before  killing,  the 
turkeys  are  put  up  to  fatten  in  a  dry,  comfortable  shed, 
which  must  be  large  enough  for  the  number  of  birds 
accommodated.  Then  the  northern  and  eastern  sides 
of  this  shed  should  be  well  closed  in,  but  the  southern 
and  western  sides  may  be  wire  netted,  thus  affording 
the  inmates  plenty  of  fresh  air.  Broad  perches  are 
provided,  and  must  not  be  more  than  tliree  feet  above 
the  ground.  Food  and  water  are  placed  in  troughs 
conveniently  situated,  and  away  from  the  perches. 

When  shut  up  to  fatten  the  turke3^s  are  given  all 
the  food  they  will  eat.  The  morning  feed  consists  of 
barley  meal  and  wheat  meal.  Some  farmers  who  are 
very  particular  and  have  good  customers  mix  the  meals 
with  milk,  and  give  milk  to  drink  instead  of  water,  an 
inexpensive  addition  if  skimmilk  is  used,  and  one  which 
considerably  improves  the  flesh.  Althougli  not  mucli 
used,  there  can  be  no  doubt  that  the  addition  of  a  little 
pure  fat  to  the  soft  food  is  highly  beneficial,  softening 
tlie  flesh.  Cooked  potatoes  can  also  be  added  to  soft 
food  with  advantage,  and  this  applies  to  all  fowls  put 


MARKETING    TURKEYS    AND    AVATERFOWL 


139 


up  for  fattening.  The  afternoon  feed  consists  ol 
whole  barley,  oats  and  a  little  maize,  which  are  more 
easily  digested  if  steamed  in  hot  water.  When  fully 
satisfied  all"  food  should  be  removed,  the  trougns 
emptied  and  washed  after  the  morning  meal  of  soft  food. 
In  every  case  there  must  be  a  plentiful  supply  of 
coarse  grit  and  sand  available  to  the  fowls,  and  a  little 
slacked  lime  or  old  mortar  will  be  an  improvement. 
Without  grit  the  turkeys  cannot  possibly  digest  their 
food  properly,  and  without  effective  digestion  flesh 
production  will  never  be  complete.  Should  any  of  the 
turkeys  fight  the  culprit  must  be  removed.  Turkeys 
can  be  crammed  by  machines  as  are  fowls. 

Feeding  Ducl^s  for  2Iarlxt—The  description  is  by 
a   prominent   duck   raising   expert,   G.    H.    Pollard   of 
Bristol   county,  Mass.:     "At  twenty-four  or  thirty-six 
hours  old  we  take  the  ducklings  out  of  the  machines 
and  put  them  into  the  pipe  brooder  that  we  have.     A 
small  brooder  is  perhaps  just  as  desirable  and  as  cheap, 
if  you  have  not  many  birds.     Then  we  start  them  on 
bran  and   meal,  two-thirds  bran   and  one-third  meal, 
and  if  we  have  a  supply  of  whole  or  skimmed  milk  we 
mix  the  mash  with  milk.     We  do  not  cook  it  at  all. 
Sometimes  we  have  taken  two-thirds  bran  and  one-third 
meal  and  scalded  it  and  after  it  was  cold  we  would 
mix  in  a  few  eggs,  but  not  enough  to  make  it  sticky. 
Sometimes  we  have  fed  them  as  much  as  twenty  per 
cent  beef  scrap.     Drinking  water  should  be  kept  by 
them  always  and  particularly  when  they  are  feeding,  as 
they  cannot  swallow  the  food  without  it,  and  it  chokes 
them.     If  they  do  not  have  water  by  them  all  the  time, 
when  if  is  supplied  they  get  into  it  and  the  ducklings 
tread  upon  and  kill  one  another.     At  five  or  six  days 
old  we  drop  the  milk  and  begin  to  add  the  beef  scrap, 
about  two  per  cent  to  begin  with,  and  just  a  dash  of 
salt.     Then  we  begin  to  decrease  the  bran  and  add  the 


14U  POULTRY       PEEDIXG       AND       rATrEXING 

meal  until  we  get  even  parts  of  bran  and  meal.  At 
two  weeks  of  age  they  will  be  getting  half  and  half 
of  bran  and  meal  and  five  per  cent  of  beef  scrap. 

"We  often  feed  young  ducks  five  weeks  old  as  high 
as  twenty-five  per  cent  of  beef  scrap.  I  do  not  know 
that  I  would  advise  that  always,  but  one  must  be 
guided  by  the  condition  of  the  market.  One  objection 
to  feeding  so  much  beef  scrap  is  that  it  tends  to  make 
many  pinfeathers.  You  can  take  a  young  duck  at  ten 
weeks  old  that  has  had  no  animal  food  and  he  will 
not  show  pinfeathers  at  all,  while  the  same  bird  having 
had  animal  food  would  show  a  great  many  pinfeathers 
at  ten  weeks  and  at  eleven  weeks  he  would  be  too  pin- 
feathery  to  dress.  Ten  weeks  is  the  usual  age  at  whicli 
they  are  dressed,  but  it  depends  largely  upon  what  you 
feed  them  whether  they  are  fit  to  be  dressed  at  that  age 
or  not.  The  cost  of  caring  for  them  and  the  cost  of 
grains  and  meat  foods  decide  the  question  whether  it 
is  best  to  dress  them  early  or  market  them  at  a  later 
date.  I  think  that  generally  the  quicker  you  can  get 
rid  of  them  the  better  it  is. 

"We  kill  at  ten  weeks.  The  common  way  of  fat- 
tening would  be  to  cut  off  the  bran  at  eight  weeks.  We 
do  not  change  the  food  from  the  time  we  begin  to  give 
them  equal  parts  of  bran  and  meal  right  up  to  the 
killing  time,  and  so  do  not  have  the  bother  of  getting 
the  separate  foods  mixed.  Green  food  we  do  not  give 
at  all  to  the  young  ducks,  unless  we  intend  them  for 
breeders,  and  then  we  give  them  a  moderate  amount 
of  green  food.  You  can  get  quicker  growth  with  beef 
scrap  than  to  add  green  food.  We  usually  kill  at  ten 
weeks,  because  at  that  time  they  pick  better.  Beef 
scraps  start  the  pinfeathers ;  the  bird  tliat  has  had  very 
little  beef  scraps  will  pick  at  twelve  or  thirteen  weeks 
very  nicely,  but  at  ten  or  eleven  weeks  the  pinfeathers 
start  quite  freely  if  the  ducks  have  been  fed  with  beef 


MARKETING    TURKEYS    AND    WATERFOWL 


141 


scraps.  The  Pekin  cluck  sliould  be  dry-picked.  In  the 
west  and  in  New  York  state  the}^  are  scalded  quite 
extensively,  but  in  the  east  they  are  dry-picked.  In 
the  south  they  pay  only  three  cents  apiece  for  picking, 
while  we  pay  six  to  eight  cents.  The  lowest  prices  in 
the  duck  market  are  from  the  first  of  July  to  the  first 
of  September,  and  from  September  to  November  the 
price  always  goes  up  from  two  to  five  cents  a  pound." 
Killing  and  Dressing  Duels  (Howard) — There  are 
two    methods   of   dressing   ducks    for   market,    by    dry 


Fig.    32 — DUCK    PICKING    (Howard) 


picking  and  scalding.  Both  of  these  methods  are  good 
and  are  being  employed  successfully  by  the  largest 
raisers.  Some  have  a  preference  for  dry  picking  and 
others  for  scalding,  and  it  is  only  a  matter  of  taste 
which  method  is  used.  When  birds  are  dressed  by 
scalding  they  should  be  dipped  several  times,  or  until 
the  feathers  come  out  easily.  The  back  should  be 
dipped  in  the  water  first.  After  scalding,  wipe  them 
as  dry  as  possible  with  a  sponge  and  pick  the  breast 
feathers  first.     A  bird  when  dressed  for  market  has  left 


142  POULTRY       TEEDIXG       AXD       TATTENINQ 

on  it  tlie  feathers  on  the  wings,  tail,  head  and  neck. 
Tlie  legs  are  left  on  and  the  birds  are  not  drawn. 

The  process  of  dry  picking  is  considered  the 
simpler  of  the  two  methods,  and  one  who  is  accustomed 
to  the  work  can  dress  three  dozen  birds  in  a  day.  Tlie 
picker's  outfit  consists  of  a  chair,  a  box  for  the  feathers 
and  a  couple  of  knives,  one  knife  being  dull,  the  other 
sharp-pointed  and  double-edged,  for  bleeding.  The 
bird  is  taken  between  the  knees,  the  bill  held  open  with 
the  left  hand,  and  a  cut  made  across  the  roof  of  the 
mouth  just  below  the  eyes.  The  bird  is  then  stunned 
by  striking  its  head  against  a  post  or  some  hard  sub- 
stance. The  picker  seats  himself  in  the  chair  with 
the  bird  in  his  lap  (see  Figure  32),  its  head  held 
firmly  between  one  knee  and  the  box.  The  feathers 
are  carefully  sorted  while  picking;  the  pins  are  thrown 
away  and  the  body  feathers  with  the  down  are  thrown 
into  the  box.  Care  should  be  taken  about  this,  as  the 
feathers  from  each  bird  will  weigh  about  two  ounces, 
and  will  quite  pay  for  the  picking. 

The  dull  knife  and  the  thumb  are  used  to  remove 
the  long  pinfeathers,  and  this  should  be  done  without 
tearing  the  skin.  The  down  can  usually  be  rubbed  off 
by  slightly  moistening  the  hand  and  holding  the  skin 
tight.  Often  some  of  the  pins  cannot  be  taken  out 
without  tearing  and  disfiguring  the  skin;  when  such  is 
the  case  tlioy  should  be  shaved  off.  Seven  or  eight 
minutes  is  all  the  time  necessary  to  dress  a  bird.  After 
the  birds  are  picked  they  should  be  carefully  washed; 
and  plumped  by  placing  in  a  tank  or  barrel  of  ice 
water.  They  are  hardened  in  this  ice  water  and  given 
a  rounded  and  full  appearance.  They  are  then  packed 
in  barrels  or  boxes  and  shipped  to  market.  The  first 
or  bottom  layer  is  packed  with  backs  down ;  a  layer  of 
ice  is  then  placed  over  them,  and  all  other  layers  are 
packed   witli    tlio   ])reasts   down,   a   layer   of   ice   being 


.aARKETIXG    TURKEYS    AND    WATERFOWL  143 

lu'tween  each  layer  of  dncks.  The  top  of  the  box  or 
l.irrel  is  then  rounded  off  with  ice  and  covered  with 
burlaps.  A  flour  barrel  will  hold  about  three  dozen 
l)irds.  Some  raisers  use  boxes  for  shipping  and  have 
the  empties  returned  free.     Figure  33  shows  a  pair  of 


Fig.  33— PAIR  DRESSED  DUCKS  TEN  WEEKS  OLD  (Howard) 


young  ducks  dressed  for  market,  while  the  frontispiece 
shows  a  large  eastern  Massachusetts  duck  farm. 

Dressing  Duels  and  Geese— A  western  dealer  says 
ducks  and  geese  should  be  scalded  in  the  same  tempera- 


144  POL'LTRY       FEEDIXG       AXD       FATTEXIXG 

ture  of  water  as  for  otlior  kinds  of  poultry,  but  it 
requires  more  time  for  the  water  to  penetrate  and  loosen 
the  feathers.  Some  parties  advise,  after  scalding,  to 
wrap  them  in  a  blanket  for  the  purpose  of  steaming, 
but  the}^  must  not  be  left  in  this  condition  long  enough 
to  cook  the  flesh.  Do  not  undertake  to  dry-pick  geese 
and  ducks  just  before  killing  for  the  purpose  of  saving 
the  feathers,  as  it  causes  the  skin  to  become  very  mucli 
inflamed,  and  is  a  great  injury  to  the  sale,  bo  not 
pick  the  feathers  off  the  head;  leave  the  feathers  on 
for  two  or  three  inches  on  the  neck.  Do  not  singe  the 
bodies  for  the  purpose  of  removing  any  down  or  hair, 
as  the  heat  from  the  flame  will  give  them  an  oily  and 
unsightly  appearance.  After  they  are  picked  clean 
they  should  be  held  in  scalding  water  about  ten  seconds 
for  the  purpose  of  plumping,  and  should  then  be  rinsed 
off  in  clean  cold  water.  Fat  heavy  stock  is  alwa3'S 
preferred. 

WJwIesaJe  Goose  Fattening — At  Adamsville,  R.  I., 
there  is  a  large  goose-fattening  establishment.  The 
proprietors  pick  up  the  geese  in  carts  when  about  half 
grown,  that  is,  about  the  age  that  the  quills  begin  to 
start;  many  farmers  prefer  to  dispose  of  the  geese  in 
this  way  rather  than  have  the  trouble  of  fattening  them 
themselves.  The  professional  fatteners  finish  off  the 
geese  in  four  to  six  weeks.  There  is  nothing  secret 
about  the  method  of  fattening.  They  are  given  mostly 
corn  meal,  bran  and  meat,  and  fed  all  they  will  eat. 
At  killing  time,  five  or  six  pickers  are  employed,  and 
these  become  very  expert,  dressing  off  from  twenty  to 
twenty-five  a  day.  The  product  is  shipped  to  Xew 
York  and  Boston;  sometimes  the  demand  is  better  in 
one  cit\%  and  sometimes  in  the  other.  The  poultry  are 
dry-picked  and  feathers  sold,  being  kept  until  winter 
and  shipped  all  together.  Goose  feathers  are  usually 
worth  about  thirty-five  cents  per  pound,  duck  feathers 


MARKETIXG    TURKEYS    AND    WATERFOWL  145 

from    twenty-eight    to    thirty    cents.     Common    hen 
feathers  sell  at  four  to  five  cents  per  pound. 

Said  Mr.  Cornell,  owner  of  this  establishment: 
''This  year  I  have  fattened  about  10,000  geese  and  about 
4000  ducks,  not  as  many  as  usual,  as  it  has  been  a  poor 
season.  I  feed  them  on  corn  meol  and  beef  scraps, 
fattening  them  during  September,  October  and  Novem- 
ber. I  feed  100  bushels  meal  per  day,  and  two  tons  of 
scraps  per  week.  We  do  not  coop  them  up  in  houses 
to  fatten  them;  they  are  out  in  yards  about  thirty  to 
forty  feet  square.  I  employ  about  eight  pickers  and 
three  or  four  men  to  take  care  of  the  geese.  Most  of 
my  poultry  goes  to  New  York  market.  We  stick  them 
in  the  roof  of  the  mouth  to  bleed  them,  and  hit  them  on 
the  head  with  a  small  stick.  Do  not  pick  the  neck  or 
wings,  only  the  body.  I  pay  ten  cents  for  picking 
geese  and  six  cents  for  ducks.'^ 

According  to  another  specialist,  geese  may  be 
finished  for  market  by  feeding  liberally  about  four 
weeks  in  coops.  An  old  shed  is  a  good  enough  fattening 
place.  Good  foods  are  corn  meal  and  shorts,  boiled 
oats,  brewers'  grain  and  some  fresh  green  stuff  or 
boiled  potatoes.  Gravel  or  grit  is  positively  needed, 
also  plenty  of  water. 

Special  Fattening  of  Geese — The  most  extreme 
method  of  artificial  fattening  is  employed  with  geese 
whose  livers  are  to  be  used  for  the  delicacy  known  as 
"foie  gras"  (fat  liver).  In  Farmers'  Bulletin  No.  183 
of  the  United  States  department  of  agriculture,  Helen 
W.  Atwater  says  this  art  of  fattening  geese  until  fatty 
infiltration  of  the  liver  has  set  in  and  that  organ  weighs 
from  two  and  one-half  to  three  pounds,  is  practiced  on 
a  large  scale  about  Strasburg,  Germany,  and  to  a  less 
extent  about  Toulouse  and  elsewhere.  The  birds  are 
usually  confined  in  small,  dark  cages,  where  they  can 
move  only  a  few  inches,  and  are  fed  two  or  three  times 


146 


POULTRY      FEEDING      AND      FATTENINO 


a  day,  commonly  with  all  the  ground  maize  or  wheat 
flour  paste  they  can  be  made  to  eat.  When  they  have 
become  very  fat,  usually  at  the  end  of  about  three 
weeks,  they  are  killed  and  the  livers  removed. 

The  livers,  which  are  perhaps  no  more  abnormal 
than  the  flesh  of  an  overfat  hog,  commonly  appear  in 


Fig.   34 — KILLING   DEPARTMENT  OF  AN  ENGLISH  DUCK 
FARM 


our  markets  in  jars  or  tins  in  three  distinct  forms: 
Foie  gras  an  naturcl,  pate  de  foie  gras  (by  far  the  most 
popular),  and  puree  de  foie  gras.  The  foie  gras  au 
naturel  is  simply  the  liver  preserved  without  any 
dressing.  The  pates  are  made  of  large  pieces  of  the 
liver,  cooked  and  dressed  with  truffles  and  other  con- 


MARKETING    TUKKEYS    AXD    WATERFOWL  147 

diments.  Tliese  pieces  are  fitted  into  cans  by  trim- 
ming oflt  the  edges,  and  are  covered  with  melted  goose 
fat  or  suet.  i\Iany  persons  find  the  flavor  of  the  goose 
fat  too  strong  and  prefer  the  suet.  The  trimmings  of 
the  liver  in  the  pates  are  preserved  with  truffles,  etc., 
and  sold  as  puree  de  foie  gras. 

^  English  duck  raisers  mostly  prefer  the  Aylesbury 
variety.  At  eight  or  nine  weeks  the  Aylesbury  weighs 
about  six  pounds.  Such  foods  as  ground  oats,  barley 
and  rice,  also  bran,  take  the  place  of  the  corn  meal  and 
bran  so  largely  fed  in  America.  Meat  scrap  and  tallow 
are  used  freely.  Ducks  are  killed  by  cutting  the  large 
veins  of  the  head.  Some  killers  let 'the  carcass  become 
cold  before  picking  in  order  to  prevent  tearing,  but 
this  practice  makes  the  process  of  picking  more  slow 
and  difficult.  The  feathers  around  the  neck  and  head 
are  left  on,  as  shown  in  Figure  34,  a  duck  killing 
room,  from  a  photograph  kindly  loaned  by  Mr.  Peter 
Walch,  who  markets  about  20,000  ducks  per  year  from 
his  farm  in  Lancashire,  England,  a  part  of  which  is 
shown  in  Figure  35. 


be 


CHAPTER   XIII 
FINISH  AND  SHAPING 

THE  farms  of  the  land  need  to  produce  not  only 
more  poultr}',  but  better  poultry.     Think  for  a 
moment  where  the  bulk  of  the  meat  on  a  fowl  is 
placed.     It    is    on    the   breast    and    the   thighs. 
There   is    practically   no    meat   elsewhere.     Then   how 
foolish  to  go  on  breeding  year  after  year  from  birds  that 
are  flat  in  breast  and  scant  in  thighs. 

The   illustration,    Figure    36,   ''Breast   and    Thigh 
Development,"  shows  a  side  view  of  the  average  fowl 


Fig.   36 BREAST    AXD    THIGH     DEVELOP:\rENT 

in  the  market.  The  breast  flesh  ought  to  go  out  to 
the  dotted  line,  then  there  would  be  twice  as  much  of 
the  white  meat,  and  it  would  cost  no  more  to  bring 
the  bird  to  maturity.  The  middle  figure  of  the  same 
illustration  shows  a  cross  section  of  the  average  market 
fowl,  the  dotted  sections  showing  the  breast  meat.  Breed 
a  round,  wide-breasted  bird  and  the  breast  meat  would 
come  out  to  the  dotted  lines  and  double  the  amount 
produced.  Look  carefully  to  the  shape  of  the  breeding 
stock  and  select  birds  that  are  built  to  carry  a  large 
amount  of  l)reast  and  thigh  meat. 

The  Ijest  market  fowls  carry  the  white  meat  not 
only  on  the  breast  proper  as  at  b  in  the  third  figure 
of  the  illustration,  but  also  well  back  between  the  legs 
at  a.     Much  of  the  market  poultry  fails  to  be  thick- 


150 


rOLLTKY       FEEDING       AND       FATTENING 


nieated  at  this  point,  a,  and  this  is  a  vital  defect.  Tlie 
pure  bred  Wvandottes,  I^lymouth  Rocks  and  Rhode 
Island  Reds  are  especially  noted  for  carrying  a  gener- 
ous quantity  of  white  meat  not  only  upon  the  breast, 
but  also  well  back  between  the  legs,  and  this  is  one 
of  the  reasons  for  the  market  popularity  of  these 
two  breeds. 

There  is  no  reason  to  suppose  that  any  of  the 
breeds  used  for  market  poultry  in  Europe  are  at  all 
superior  to  tlie  standard  American  general  purpose 
breeds.  In  fact,  some  of  the  foreign  breeds  have  dark 
legs,  blue  meat  and  other  peculiarities  that  would  make 
them  unpopular  in  American  markets.     The  excellence 


SHAPED    SUSSEX    FOWLS 


(Breast  upward  and  breast  downward) 


of  the  best  grades  of  foreign  poultry  is  due  to  care  and 
artistic  finisli  during  the  whole  process  from  feeding 
pen  to  market.  With  the  same  care  and  the  use  of 
the  various  special  processes,  American  grown  poultry 
is  found  able  to  compete  in  foreign  markets,  securing 
nearly  or  quite  as  high  prices. 

The  appearance  of  some  English  dressed  poultry 
(turkeys,  ducks,  etc.)  at  the  cattle  club  sliow,  Smithfield, 
England,  is  well  brought  out  in  Fugure  37.     The  cliief 


FIXISII     AXD     SHAPIXG  151 

peculiarities  of  the  English  method  are:  Killing  by 
Avringing  the  neck,  not  by  chopping  or  sticking; 
feathers  are  left  on  the  neck  for  a  few  inches  from 
the  head,  also  a  few  feathers  on  tail  and  tips  of  wings ; 
the  breast  bone  is  sometimes  broken  down  by  pressing 
it  to  one  side  with  the  thumbs,  and  the  wings  are 
twisted  to  the  back  of  the  bird. 

The  French  exhibit  is  especially  well  staged,  show- 
ing its  merits  to  best  advantage.  The  specimens  are  of 
large   size,    very   clean    and   white    and   well   finished 


Fig.  38 — SHAPED  FOWLS  (French) 

by  shaping  as  described  elsewhere.  They  are  shown 
back  uppermost,  while  English  and  American  exhib- 
itors place  them  breast  up.  The  methods  by  which 
the  finest  grades  of  foreign  poultry  are  fattened  and 
finished  for  market  are  fully  explained  in  this  work. 
Shaping  (E.  E.  Brown) — Although  French  sys- 
tems of  shaping  are  practically  unknown  in  this 
country,  it  is  desirable  to  refer  to  them,  as  for  the 
finer  qualities  of  fowls  they  might  be  adopted  in  many 
cases  with  advantage.  The  first  is  that  most  common 
in  France.  In  this  case  a  board,  from  fifteen  to  eighteen 
inches  long  and  five  to  eight  inches  wide,  in  accord- 


152  POULTRY       FEEDING       AND       FATTENING 

ance  with  tlic  size  of  the  fowl,  is  used.  In  tliis  hoard, 
Figure  40,  which  is  usually  one  inch  thick,  are  driven 
eight  pegs  at  equal  distances.  When  the  bird  is  killed 
it  is  quickly  plucked,  and  the  head,  legs  and  inner  bowel 
most  carefully  washed.  It  is  then  laid  breast  down- 
ward on  the  board,  and  the  back  pressed  in  with  the 
hand,  causing  the  ribs  to  crack  slightly  and  loosening 
the  breast  muscles.     When  this  is  done  the  fowl  does 


Fig.    39 — SHAPED    POULTKY    (La    Brosse) 


not  again  return  to  its  normal  shape,  and  the  meat 
being  forced  to  the  breast  of  the  fowl,  gives  that  flat 
appearance  which  is  so  desirable.  The  hocks  have 
already  been  tied  with  the  wings  througli  tliem.  When 
placed  in  position  upon  the  board  the  rump  and  crop 
are  supported  by  pads  of  stout  paper,  or  small  blocks 
of  wood,  covered  with  cloth,  in  order  to  keep  the  fowl 
level.  A  strong  linen  cloth  which  is  first  dipped  in 
milk  and  is  the  length  of  the  bird's  body,  is  very 
tightly    drawn    over   the   back,    and    the    eight   tapes. 


POULTRY    FEEDING    AND    FATTENING 


153 


Figure  41,  provided  for  the  purpose,  are  tightly 
attached  to  the  pegs  of  wood,  the  head  and  neck  hang- 
ing doAvn  at  one  end.  The  whole  is  then  drenched  with 
cold  water,  and  left  to  set.  Such  a  system,  although 
apparently  giving  great  trouhle,  is  very  simple,  and 
brings  out  all  the  best  qualities  of  a  fowl.  These 
shaping  boards  can  be  made  very  cheaply,  at  the  cost 
of  a  few  cents  each,  and  the  lady  members  of  any  house- 
hold can  make  the  linen  cloths. 

Another  system,  which  is  found  almost  exclusively 
in  the  La  Bresse  district  of  France,  is  peculiar  to  that 
country,  and  to  it  is  due  the  unique  shape  of  La  Bresse 


i D 0 


r=n 


Fig.  40 FRENCH  SHAPING  BOARD 


fowls.  Small  poultry  keepers  and  great  fatteners  alike 
adopt  this  method.  Every  fowl,  no  matter  how  small 
its  price,  is  prepared  in  the  following  way:  For  this 
purpose  two  cloths  are  used,  the  first  a  piece  of  fine 
linen,  and  the  second  an  oblong  piece  of  coarse  linen 
or  canvas.  The  sliape  of  the  former  does  not  matter 
so  much  but  the  latter  requires  to  be  of  a  certain  make. 
So  soon  as  the  fowl  is  killed  it  is  plucked,  and  whilst 
warm,  wrapped,  first  in  the  fine  linen,  and  then  in  the 
coarser  material ;  the  latter  is  drawn  very  tightly,  either 
by  tapes  or  cords  passed  through  holes  provided  for  the 
purpose,  or  is  sewed  up  with  fine  strings.     These  cloths 


154  roULTllY       TEEDIXG       AND       FATTENIXG 

envelop  it  comi:)letely.  It  is  stitched  first  from  the 
stern  up  to  the  hocks,  and  then  along  the  bod}-  to  the 
neck,  the  legs  being  laid  on  either  side  of  the  breast 
and  encased  with  the  cloth.  The  fowls  are  dipped  in 
cold  water  and  allowed  to  remain  in  this  position  from 
twenty-four  to  thirty-six  hours.  When  taken  out  they 
have  a  sugar-loaf  shape,  the  head  being  at  the  apex  and 
the  stern  at  the  base.  The  effect  of  this  system  is  to 
smooth  the  skin  and  give  it  a  very  pleasing  appearance. 
The  shape  of  this  cloth  is  shown  in  Figure  41,  at 
the  right, 

"Whatever  the  system  adopted  of  shaping,  it  is  a 
most  important  point  that  the  bird  shall  be  plucked 
carefully,  and  it  is  customary  in  some  parts  to  employ 
the  services  of  what  are  called  ^'stubbers."  If  any  of 
the  feathers,  especially  the  short  'quills,  are  left  in  the 
flesh,  they  will  depreciate  the  appearance  of  the  fowl. 
Fowls  are  singed  immediately  after  being  plucked, 
and  stubbed. 

The  Sussex  System — Shaping  is  carried  out  in 
Sussex,  England,  as  part  of  the  process,  but  in  a  very 
different  manner  than  that  just  described.  There  can 
be  no  question  but  that  the  appearance  of  the  fowls  is 
improved  thereby.  This  system  is  so  simple  that  it  can 
be  adopted  at  very  small  expense,  the  shaping  boards 
l)eing  easily  made.  An  illustration  of  Canadian  shaped 
poultry,  Figures  42  and  43,  shows  a  shaping  board  built 
in  three  rows,  and  capable  of  holding  thirty  to  thirty-six 
birds  at  one  time.  For  smaller  producers  it  can  be  built 
with  one  row,  and  the  cost  of  material  for  construction 
of  the  large  size  would  not  be  over  one  dollar.  Each 
trough  is  made  Y-shaped,  the  front  of  which  is  rather 
narrower  than  the  back.  These  troughs  consist  of  onl}^ 
twelve  pieces  of  wood,  namely:  (1)  The  two  upright 
ends,  thirty-six  inches  by  seven  inches;  (2)  three 
troughs,  each  made  of  two  pieces  at  right  angles,  tlie 


FINISH     AND     SHAPING 


155 


back  board  six  inches  wide  and  the  front  five  inches, 
and  thirty  inches  long;  (3)  the  bottom  stay;  (4)  three 
loose  boards,  half  an  inch  shorter  than  the  troughs  and 
four  inches  wide.  It  is  better  to  use  smooth  boards 
five-eighths  or  three-quarters  inch  thick,  and  fit  the 
whole  firmly  together. 

The  operation  is  as  follows :  As  soon  as  the  birds 
are  plucked,  which  should  be  done  carefully  and  thor- 
oughly, the  hocks  are  tied  loosely  together,  so  the  legs 


rig.    43 FRENCH    SHAPING    CLOTHS 


are  flat  against  either  side  of  the  breast.  Before  doing 
so  some  of  the  most  skillful  fatteners  draw  the  meat 
upward  by  means  of  the  hands,  and  this  undoubtedly 
improves  the  appearance  of  the  bird,  though  it  must 
be  done  carefully  to  prevent  breaking  of  the  skin.  The 
operator  strikes  the  stern  against  a  wall,  thus  flattening 
and  making  it  fit  the  shaping  trough  more  easily.  Each 
bird  is  laid  in  the  trough  breast  down,  with  the  neck 
and  head  hanging  over  the  front.  The  first  bird  is 
pressed  firmly  against  the  end  of  the  trough,  and  a 
glazed  brick  or  weight  laid  by  the  side  to  keep  it  in 


15G 


POULTRY       rEKDIXG       AND       FATTEXIXG 


position.  AVlicn  tlie  second  and  succeeding  birds  are 
placed  in  the  trough  the  weight  is  moved  along  until 
quite  full.  It  is  necessar}^  that  they  should  be  packed 
firmly  and  tightly  in  this  way.  Xexi  a  loose  board, 
four  inches  wide,  and  half  an  inch  shorter  than  the 
trough,  is  laid  upon  the  back  of  the  fowls,  just  behind 
the  wings.  Upon  this  are  placed  three  or  four  heavy 
glazed  bricks,  or  two  weights  of  fifty-six  pounds,  and 
the  fowls  are  allowed  to  remain  in  the  trough  for  several 


<5-Ji7 


42 — CHICKEXS     IX     CAXADIAX'    SHAPIXG    BOARDS 


hours,  in  fact,  until  they  are  quite  cold  and  set.  When 
taken  out  they  have  the  appearance  shown  in  Figure  43. 
In  all  such  matters  it  is  desirable  to  study  appearance 
and  what  are  the  market  requirements.  For  London 
trade  it  is  necessar}-  to  send  birds  so  shaped  in  order  to 
secure  the  best  prices.  Of  course  shaping  does  not  add 
one  iota  to  the  weight,  nor  anything  to  the  edible  value. 
But  it  is  none  the  less  important,  for  the  eye  is  the 
inlet  to  the  pocket  as  to  "the  soul." 


FINISH     AND     SHAPING 


157 


Ame7-ican  Metliods — At  the  Canadian  poultr}^ 
stations  the  method  of  shaping  is  practically  the  same 
as  the  English  or  Sussex  method.  When  the  chickens 
are  plucked  they  are  put  on  a  shaping  board.  That 
may  be  a  board  about  six  inches  wide,  placed  against  a 
wall  and  making  with  the  wall  an  angle  of  about  ninety 
degrees.  Or  it  may  be  a  V-shaped  trough  with  that 
angle.  As  soon  as  each  chicken  is  plucked,  its  legs  are 
placed  alongside  its  breast.     The  stern  of  the  chicken 


Fig.  43 — CHICKEN    IN    CANADIAN    SHAPING    BOARD 

is  pressed  into  the  angle  of  the  shaping  board  or  trough. 
Each  bird  is  laid  in  with  its  breast  downward,  a  glazed 
brick  or  other  weight  is  laid  on  top,  another  brick  is 
put  alongside  to  keep  it  in  position  until  the  next 
bird  is  pressed  closely  there.  After  the  row  is  full  the 
chickens  are  left  lying  on  their  breasts  with  sufficient 
weight  to  hold  them  firmly  and  crush  the  breast  bones 
slightly,  but  not  so  as  to  break  them.  While  they  are 
in  this  position  the  body  is  partly  drained  of  the  blood 
which  collects  in  the  neck.  They  are  left  there  to  cool 
and  set,  and  then  are  packed  in  crates  for  shipment. 


D.  H.  HILL  LIBRARY 


INDEX 


Page  I 

Anatomy  of  fowls g 

Animal  food   »i 

Barley  for  poultry 49 

Beets,  feeding   o-^ 

Bleeding  a   fowl 11^ 

Block   for  beheading 119 

Bone,   amount  required   oo 

as  an  esS  food 56 

for  chicks  and  ducklings....  5< 

fresh    green    54 

meal  for  chicks  23 

and  meat   meal    58 

scrap.  57 

value  of   55 

Board   for   shaping    152 

Boston   market,   poultry   for.. 124 

Boxes,   marking    121 

Breeds   for    fattening SO,    106 

Broilers,  care  of   33| 

dressing    and    marketing 35| 

feeding     34 

finishing  for  market   31 

killing     32 

plumping    36 

squab    30.   35 

starting  35 

to  finish    35 

winter     35 

Broiler  plant,   a 32 

Brooders,    care    of 25 

Brooder   chicks,    feeding 26 

Buckwheat  for  poultry 49 

Cabbage  for   poultry 63 

Canada,  progress  in  104 

Canadian   fattening    76 

methods    lOS 

Capons,    dressing    70 

finishing   67,  71 

packing   72 

profit   in    70 

ration   for   67 

Chicago  market,  poultry  for. 125 
Chickens,   experience   with —  12 

late    hatched    67 

specially   fattened    78 

Chicks,   feeding    20 

grit  for   21 

treatment    for   chilled 11 

variety  for  34 

young,   feeding   31 

Cloth   for  shaping   152 

Clover  pasture    62 

Condition    powders    50 

Cooking  food    14 

Cooling  for  market   115 

Cooping   and    care 84 

Coops  for  fattening  

97,  101,  103,  107 
for  feeding  chick..   10 


Page 

Coops  for  live  shipment 128 

for  machine  fattening   88 

Corn   for   poultry    49 

meal   for  chicks   9 

Crates   for   fattening   G9 

Curtice,    on    feeding   chicks...  26 
Development     of     breast    and 

thigh    149 

Digestive  organs   45 

Dressing  broilers    35 

ducks  and  geese  143 

for  family  trade   128 

method  of  115 

squabs    131 

table  for  121 

western  method  122 

Droppings  an  indication 42 

Duck  farm,  English   146 

feeding,    experiment   in 16 

raising,   expert    14 

Ducks,  breeding,  food  for 15 

cost  per  pound   17 

cost   of  raising   16 

English,  feeding  of  147 

fattening    140 

feeding  139 

killing   117 

killing  and  dressing  141 

milk  for  16 

rule  for  feeding  16 

young,  ration  for 15 

Ducklings,  meat   for   54 

Egg  food,  homemade  50 

producer  50 

English  method,  summar^'  of.  98 

Experience    with    chickens 12 

Export,  chickens  for  129 

Fat,  feeding   99 

hens,  to  reduce  42.  45 

Fattening,  American  103 

art  of   73 

artificial    >. 81 

breeds  for  80 

by  hand   93 

by  machine,  cost  of  88 

Canadian    105 

coops    84 

cost  of  107 

crates    69 

English    95 

English  method  of  75 

English   expert   92 

experience  in   108 

French   96 

geese     145 

German 100 

Iowa  method   82 

machines,  English  94 

main  points  in   86 


INDEX 


161) 


Page  I                                                     Pag-e 
Fattening,  requirements  for..  79  Marketing,  expert   133 


quickly     liu 

Feeding  by  hand 92 

by  machine S3 

in  yards    109 

in  molting  season  44 

science  of   48 

variety  in   9 

Felch's  meal  bread  21 

Fish  for  poultry   60 

Food,  amount  required 48 

bulky     61 

cooking    14 

for  machine   feeding    86 

for  young  chicks   10 


liquid 
Foods,  Belgian  

special    

various  

Fowls,  exercise  for 

feeding  in  winter 

rations  for   

stall  fed    


105 
.101 
.  51 
.  65 
.  41 
,  40 
,  39 
.104 


squabs    132 

turkeys    133 

Meat  and  bone  compared 58 

and  grain  compared  53 

location  of    149 

raw    63 

results  from   52 

white     149 

Methods,  special   S2 

Milk   for   chicks 10 

Millet   for   chicks 11.   13 

Molting  season,  feeding  in....  44 
Muskrats   as   poultry   food....  64 

Nuts     for    poultry 64 

Oats  for  fattening  97 

for  poultry  49 

in  fattening  101 

Oatmeal  for  chicks  22 

Overfeeding  42.  45 

Owls'    Nest  farm    30 

Packing  and   shipping 126 


expert     123 

variety  for  41jPicking,    details    of 113 

watching  condition   of   42     turkeys    136 

Funnel  for  cramming  93|Pinfeathering    114 

Garbage    66  Pomace   66 

Geese,  dressing  143  Poultry,  dry  picked   122 


English,   weight   of 77 

facts    48 

family  128 

fancy,  French  74 

for    choice    trade Ill 

quality   in    74 

"   '   '■  78 


fattening    144 

livers  of   146 

German  methods    101 

Gluten  meal   65 

Grain  and  meat  compared 54 

mixture  for  chicks  27 

Grains  for  fowls  37  Prices  of  fancv  poultry 

scorched    65  Profit  in  fattening  86 

standard     49  Protein,  need  of  for  chicks...  10 

various     49  Quick    fattening    method 110 

Green  food   62  Ration,  a  developing 14 

food  for  chicks  21  Rations,   balanced    48 

food    for    fowls 38     balanced   for  chicks   I'O 

food   for   poultry 51  Rice  for  poultry 64 

Grit  for  chicks  n.  21  Rye   and   clover 62 

Hens  on  Maine  college  farm.  43  Scalding    116 

Horse   flesh    58     method    of    121 

Hunter,     A.     F.,     on     chicken      |    poultry     126 

.feeding    19  Scraps  in  fattening   100 

Icmg  for  shipment  126!    table    65 

Killing  bag   117  Screenings    65 

^ucks     117  Seed  mixture  for  chicks 27 

English  method  of  151  Selection   of    lavers 42 

^Pert    113  Shaped    fowls,    French 151 

French   method    118  Shaping,    American    method.. 157 


knife  for  116 

method    of    105 

methods  of  compared  Ill 

squabs    131 

Knife  for  killing  116 


board,  Canadian  156 

board,    French    151 

cloth     152 

English  method   154 

La   Bresse  method    153 


guide  for   117  Shelter   for   chicks 24 

Layers,   selecting    42  Shipment,    icing    for 126 

Live  poultry,   shipping 127  Shipping  box,   Canadian 129 

Machine  feeding    83     in   coops    127 

Machines,  increased  use  of  ...  81  Shrinkage,  amount  of !.!!l27 

Market,  preparing  for  120  Skimmilk    61 

Marketing   broilers    35.    feeding    ....  10* 


160 


INDEX 


Page 

Small   broilers,   growing 2S 

Sour  food  66 

Special    food    crop 63 

Squabs,    marketing    130 

Sulphur    in    fattening 100 

Table  for  dressing  121 

Tallow  for  fattening 9« 

Tankage,  ground   65 

Troughs,    English    shaping 154 

Turkeys,  Christmas   135 

dressing  115,  134 

English    138 

fattening    133 


Page 

Turkeys,  feeding  young 17 

killing    133 

marketing     133 

shipping    137 

Thanksgiving    138 

Turtle  as  a  poultry  food 60 

Vegetables  for  chicks 12 

T\'heat   for   poultry   49 

Whey    cream    60 

Winter    chicks,    feeding 27 

T\"ringing  the  neck IIS 

Yards,   feeding   in    109 


